Two other witnesses testified at the Mombasa Law Court in the manslaughter case against Pastor Mackenzie and 94 others.

The first witness, who is 15 years old and referred to in court as GN, recounted harrowing experiences during his stay in Shakahola Forest, where he and other followers of Mackenzie’s had retreated.

GN began by identifying photographs of himself taken during his time in Shakahola. He appeared visibly weak in the images, which, he explained, was due to prolonged lack of food and water, a condition deliberately imposed by extreme fasting in a bid to hasten their journey to heaven through death.

Pastor Mackenzie had reportedly communicated messages claiming that Jesus would not return and that followers must die in order to follow him.

These messages were conveyed during regular Saturday gatherings, which the witness attended along with his mother and brother.

The court heard that there was a structured fasting schedule in Shakahola, starting with newborns, then children between 1 and 10, followed by Mackenzie’s own children, then women, with Mackenzie’s wife being the last woman to die, and lastly, men, with Pastor Mackenzie himself designated as the final person to die.

The witness described Shakahola as a highly organized setup where different people had been assigned specific roles, such as a village elder, a team responsible for discipline, and a security team.

He remembered being disciplined by Mr. Evans by severe beating. The security team included Manu wa Tuk Tuk, Titus, Stefano, Hallelujah, Robert, and Charles. They used to guard the Shakahola by giving intelligence reports to residents about approaching police officers so that they could escape. They could also prevent escape attempts by followers.

He told the court of how he and his friend had attempted to escape after enduring 11 days of fasting. However, they were captured by two members of the security team and taken back to Pastor Mackenzie’s residence.

The witness and his brother eventually managed to send a message to a local herder, who in turn alerted the police, leading to their rescue.

The witness testified that Mr. Michael Omweri, one of the Mackenzie aides, would help in reading the Bible verses as directed by Pastor Mackenzie.

Followers were forbidden from visiting each other and were taught to wait upon the Lord to provide for them, even when there was no food available.

The witnesses gave a chilling description of the burial ceremonies where Pastor Mackenzie would praise the deceased, terming the deceased as a hero or heroine. He also told the court that no weeping, sad faces, or mourning was allowed, as it was considered holy.

The witness is said to have left school after the mother, brother, and he received teaching that education is bad from Good News International Church Bombolulu.

To hasten dying, the followers were ordered to fast inside a fasting bay, enclosures that were made of black polythene bags. According to GN, these enclosures were used to accelerate dehydration and death, as the black objects are known for absorbing heat.