A male minor from Kitale has given a blow-by-blow account of how pastor Paul Mackenzie allegedly asked him and his mother to fast to death.
Mackenzie is currently being tried over the Shakahola massacre, in which he allegedly asked his Good News International Church members to fast to death, after which they would meet Jesus.
In the court session on Tuesday, September 10, before Chief Magistrate Alex Ithuku at Mombasa Law courts, the minor, a witness, narrated to the court how they ended up in Malindi from Kitale.
In a report by the ODPP, the witness said his mother, after following Mackenzie’s teachings on TV, called the pastor to inform him they were heading to Malindi from Kitale.
When they arrived in Malindi, they boarded a vehicle and headed to Shakahola Madukani.
The court heard that Mackenzie sent an old man named Joseph, who was among his security team, to receive them at Shakahola.
The witness went on to inform the court that once at Shakahola, Mackenzie called for a meeting where many people attended and issued an order that they are supposed to fast and be ready to go to Jesus.
The witness added that Mackenzie in his order directed that the order to be followed in fasting was that kids were the first to fast, followed by the youth, then women and finally the men.
Mackenzie told them that he would be the last person to fast and that he will eventually grow wings and fly to heaven to meet them with Jesus.
Following the tough environment and the fasting directive, the witness told the court that he had to escape from their home to look for food in a neighbour’s house after fasting for three days since he was not for the idea of fasting.
However, on finding out, the neighbour reported the witness to Mackenzie for not fasting and was taken to an elder, where he was allegedly beaten by his mother and Mackenzie’s men.
He added that while escaping, an old man took a photo of him and sent it to Mackenzie.
The next day, the mother went for him to take him back to Shakahola but he refused.
This, he said forced the mother to come with two elders who came and introduced themselves as chiefs of the area and took him back to Shakahola where he was tied with a rope to deter him from escaping.
He escaped the second time and was rescued by an old man who took him to school and later a children’s home.
Mackenzie and his co-accused are also facing several charges including torture and cruelty against children, violation of basic education act, terrorism, radicalisation, being members of terrorism group and murder.