Two young witnesses took the stand in the ongoing manslaughter case against controversial preacher Paul Mackenzie and 94 co-accused.

The first witness, a 16-year-old identified in court only as SBB for protection, described before Chief Magistrate Alex Ithuku how his life was turned upside down after his mother withdrew him from school after receiving teachings against education.

He told the court how his mother sold household items to finance their travel to Malindi and then to Shakahola forest, also referred to by the followers as “Jangwani” (the wilderness).

On their way to Shakahola, they were held in a makeshift tent to enable the opening of ways to Shahakohala Forest.

SBB told the court that they were subjected to extreme fasting under the belief that it would accelerate their journey to heaven. He testified that his own mother denied him food.

He added that she collaborated with other Mackenzie’s close aides, including one known as Mr. Smart, in severely beating him when he was caught stealing food from a neighbour’s home, driven by hunger after four days without food or water.

“We were told we were delaying the journey to heaven,” he recalled. “Anyone who questioned the teachings or resisted fasting was seen as an obstacle.”

The witness acknowledged having attended a meeting where they were ordered to start observing. He says that some opposed the directives, and some decided to move out of the Shakahola forest.

The witness added that meetings were held every time someone died, during which Pastor Mackenzie would allegedly conduct prayers before the body was buried. These burials were referred to as “weddings,” implying a union with God.

Pastor Mackenzie would update the followers on global events such as the Russia-Ukraine war, which he described as signs of the world’s end. He also warned them against going to the hospital, registering for a Huduma Number, and also using beauty products, as they were considered satanic.

During burials, Mackenzie would tell his followers that the “Ark was about to be closed,” and therefore, anyone who would have not boarded should have done so, failure to which he/she would be left out.

He described how he escaped to Shakahola madukani, where he was directed to village elders for shelter. Two days after being thoroughly beaten for stealing food from a neighbour, he used the opportunity of going to relieve himself to sneak away.

The second witness, a 14-year-old protected witness identified only as EW, currently in Grade 6 and born in Lwanda, confirmed the cult’s hardline stance against education and modernity.

“We were taught that school, Huduma Number registration, and using cosmetics were ungodly,” the child testified.

The witness stated that they were not going to school because they were made to understand that going to school was satanic. The uncle had to lock them in a house because the area chief was moving around conducting inspections to ensure all the children were attending school.

The witness travelled from Lwanda to an area in Shakahola known as Bethlehem, where they were subjected to intense fasting, prayer, and regular meetings addressed by Pastor Mackenzie himself.

Meetings were often announced through door-to-door messages. According to EW, the term “wedding” was used to refer to burials, with Mackenzie’s followers believing the deceased were being joined with God.

Both testimonies painted a chilling picture of systematic indoctrination and abuse allegedly orchestrated by Mackenzie and his inner circle.

“The prosecution aims to prove that the mass starvation deaths in Shakahola were not merely acts of faith but criminally negligent and coercive in nature,” ODPP said.

The trial is set to continue on Tuesday, July 29, with more witnesses expected to testify in what is shaping up to be one of Kenya’s most disturbing criminal cases in recent history.