A witness on Tuesday told a Mombasa court that the Shakahola massacre suspected mastermind Paul Mackenzie convinced his followers to fast until death, promising that he would be the last to fast and grow wings then fly to heaven and meet them with Jesus.

The Mombasa Law Courts, presided over by Chief Magistrate Alex Ithuku, heard the testimony from a male minor under the Witness Protection Agency when the hearing of the case against Mackenzie and 95 others continued.

The witness recounted how his mother learned of Mackenzie’s teachings while they were living in Eldoret, leading to a disagreement with his father which eventually broke up the family.

His mother, subsequently, moved with him to Kitale where she continued following Mackenzie’s teachings, before finally deciding to go receive the word from the horse’s mouth and travelled with him to Malindi and then Shakahola to meet the preacher.

“The witness went on to inform the court that once at Shakahola, Paul 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 Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) said in a statement.

“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.”

The witness revealed that he escaped twice from the harsh conditions, seeking food from neighbors after fasting for three days. On both occasions, Mackenzie’s followers, including his own mother, took him back to Shakahola, where he was punished for refusing to comply with the fasting order.

In the case, Mackenzie, along with 95 co-accused, faces charges including terrorism, child cruelty, radicalization, murder, and violating the Basic Education Act.

Magistrate Ithuku on Monday however dropped charges against two of the co-accused persons following their deaths while receiving treatment at different facilities.

“Mary Mbita, the 57th accused, died in June while undergoing treatment at Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital, while Edison Safari, also known as Baba Sifa and the 27th accused, passed away on August 19, 2024 while receiving care at Shimo la Tewa Health Facility,” the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said in a subsequent statement.