After years of painful uncertainty, relatives of those who perished in the Shakahola forest tragedy linked to preacher Paul Mackenzie have begun to bury their loved ones.
For nearly two years, the remains of the victims were kept at Malindi Sub-County Hospital mortuary, carefully preserved and labeled while forensic teams worked to match DNA samples to families eager for closure.
This week, authorities launched a new phase of releasing identified bodies, this time including 37 victims, providing families with the opportunity to finally say goodbye.
Among the mourners is the family of former GSU officer Isaack Ngala, who died alongside his wife and two children in the forest.
The 36-year-old left his GSU duties in 2021 to join Mackenzie’s cult with his wife Emily Wanje, his mother, and their children, Seth and Imani. While Emily was buried last year, Isaack’s remains were only recently confirmed.
His father, Titus Ngonyo Gandi, visited the mortuary on Wednesday to see his son, describing the encounter as emotionally shattering.
“We have been shown the body, and it is currently preserved at the morgue. The burial is scheduled for November 5 in the Muyeye area,” he said, his voice heavy with sorrow.
He also highlighted the financial challenges the family faces in preparing for the burial.
“The grave preparation is ongoing, but we are financially strained and need support,” he appealed, asking the government and well-wishers for assistance.
Isaack’s father-in-law, Francis Wanje, shared a similar concern, noting that last year the family buried four other relatives whose remains had been identified.
“We are in a bad financial situation because last year we buried four of our relatives who were identified. We really need help to give them a decent send-off,” he said.
Ngonyo’s grief runs deep, having lost six family members in the Shakahola tragedy, which claimed over 429 lives linked to Mackenzie’s Good News International Church.
The deceased included his wife Esther Bahati Masha, sons Ngala and Harry Ngonyo, daughter-in-law Emily Wanje, and two grandchildren. Ngala had served with the GSU Anti-Stock Theft Unit since 2011, while Masha worked as a hawker at White Elephant Beach.
The family had been active at Calvary Worship Centre in Muyeye, where Harry played the keyboard and pursued a shipping course in Mombasa.
“All was well until my wife joined Mackenzie’s church in Furunzi,” Ngonyo said. She later persuaded their sons to follow her, and by 2018, Harry dropped out of college to join the cult.
The release of bodies this week includes victims from other counties, such as Titus Mulinga from Trans Nzoia, eight-year-old Samuel Kirimi from Tigania West, and Maurice Kingi Mutungi from Imenti North, Meru. A status report indicates that relatives who identified the remains received documentation and counselling before viewing the bodies. Some families, however, expressed difficulty transporting the remains due to financial limitations.
“Pursuant to that request, the team has ferried the body of Maurice Kingi Mutungi to Meru Mortuary pending burial by the family,” the report stated.
By Tuesday, authorities had released 10 more bodies after additional DNA confirmations. Officials urged relatives who had identified their kin to follow through and collect the bodies to proceed with burials.
The family of Lewi Thoya is preparing to bury his brother’s wife, also a victim of the cult. The ceremony is scheduled for November 8. Thoya recalled how his brother, Evans Kolombe Sirya, left a thriving contracting business in Malindi to join Mackenzie, eventually withdrawing his six children from school.
“My brother was doing very well in business. He helped me a lot because he earned good money. But things changed after he joined the church,” Thoya said.
Kolombe insisted education was against God’s plan, and that was the last time Thoya saw him before he vanished into the forest under Mackenzie’s influence.
