Mackenzie’s Breastfeeding Baby Buried in Shakahola, Witness Testifies

Enos Amanya, a former security chief of the Good News International church, told a Mombasa court that Pastor Paul Mackenzie ordered followers to fast to death in the Shakahola forest, leading to the deaths of hundreds, including six of Amanya’s seven children.

Giving evidence in the ongoing trial, Amanya described how he served under Paul Mackenzie, whom prosecutors accuse of orchestrating the mass deaths. Amanya, who has accepted a reduced sentence in exchange for his testimony, broke down as he recounted the loss of his children and the strict control exercised over members of the church.

He told the court that even Mackenzie’s own child died during the enforced fast. The infant, who was still breastfeeding, was buried in an area known as Galilee, one of nine villages established within the Shakahola forest. Galilee was reserved for senior members who oversaw other settlements in the compound.

Amanya said the bodies of children buried in Galilee, including his daughter, were later exhumed and reburied in a more remote section of the forest known as Samaria. He testified that this was done on Mackenzie’s instructions to conceal the growing number of deaths as authorities began investigating. According to Amanya, followers were ordered not to leave any evidence behind.

The court heard that Mackenzie’s authority extended beyond religious teaching to daily life. Members were instructed to reject modern medicine, which was described as witchcraft, and were barred from seeking treatment outside the group. Contact with the wider community was discouraged and, in many cases, completely severed.

After the original church was closed, it was rebranded as Times TV Church. Amanya said Mackenzie warned that the authorities would eventually shut down his ministry, leaving followers to survive in what he called “the wilderness”. This idea later became a physical relocation to Shakahola, where members lived in isolation.

Nairobi to fund his family’s move to Malindi and then to the forest settlement. Mobile phones were largely prohibited, although wealthier members were allowed limited communication and enjoyed more favourable conditions. He said Mackenzie received money and supplies from affluent followers and treated them differently from poorer members.

The fast was enforced through Mackenzie’s deputies. Amanya described clear instructions: no food and no water. Followers were told that death through fasting would lead to salvation. He recounted carrying his starving children as he attempted to comply with the orders. Six of his seven children died. He also described a final meal served by Mackenzie, which he referred to as their “last supper”.

As deaths increased, neighbouring residents began questioning the settlement. Tensions rose when it emerged that the land had been leased rather than purchased. Local elders demanded payment or the group’s departure. In response, Mackenzie called for further fasting, saying it would protect them from a feared attack.

Amanya told the court that he sold his property in Nairobi to fund his family’s move to Malindi and then to the forest settlement. Mobile phones were largely prohibited, although wealthier members were allowed limited communication and enjoyed more favourable conditions. He said Mackenzie received money and supplies from affluent followers and treated them differently from poorer members.

The fast was enforced through Mackenzie’s deputies. Amanya described clear instructions: no food and no water. Followers were told that death through fasting would lead to salvation. He recounted carrying his starving children as he attempted to comply with the orders. Six of his seven children died. He also described a final meal served by Mackenzie, which he referred to as their “last supper”.

As deaths increased, neighbouring residents began questioning the settlement. Tensions rose when it emerged that the land had been leased rather than purchased. Local elders demanded payment or the group’s departure. In response, Mackenzie called for further fasting, saying it would protect them from a feared attack.

Amanya said burials were carried out quickly. Once a person died, graves were dug without delay. Bodies were wrapped in cloth and buried, and vegetables were planted over the sites to disguise the graves.

Mackenzie faces charges of manslaughter and the murder of at least 191 children. Amanya told the court that more than 700 people may have died, although about 450 bodies have so far been exhumed from shallow graves in the forest. Investigations are continuing to determine the full number of victims.

Under a plea agreement, Amanya will serve a two-year prison sentence and undergo rehabilitation before his release.