The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has closed its case in the second criminal trial against controversial preacher Paul Nthenge Mackenzie and 96 co-accused persons, marking a major milestone in the prosecution of the Shakahola atrocities that shocked the nation.
The accused are facing charges related to radicalisation and organised crime at the Shanzu Law Courts, where prosecutors detailed what they described as a calculated, long-running scheme of religious extremism that culminated in mass deaths in Shakahola forest.
This marks the second case involving Mackenzie that the DPP has concluded. A separate case involving offences against children was closed in September 2025, while two other cases relating to murder and manslaughter remain ongoing before courts in Mombasa.
The prosecution-led case, which commenced on July 8, 2024, saw the DPP call 96 witnesses and produce nearly 500 exhibits.
Those who testified included survivors, medical doctors, forensic pathologists and investigators.
Prosecutors told the court that the evidence demonstrated beyond doubt that the deaths in Shakahola were neither accidental nor voluntary.
“The evidence shows a carefully orchestrated campaign of indoctrination, isolation and control,” the prosecution said, arguing that the deaths were the result of systematic radicalisation rather than personal choice.
Principal Magistrate Leah Juma formally closed the prosecution case after hearing final testimony from key investigators, including Chief Inspectors Raphael Wanjohi and Peter Mwangi, Inspector Onyango Owade and Detective Constable Alfred Mwatika, who led investigations into the events in Shakahola forest.
Investigators told the court that Mackenzie used the Good News International (GNI) Church as a vehicle to radicalise followers over more than a decade through distorted biblical teachings.
Chief Inspector Wanjohi testified that Mackenzie aggressively leveraged media platforms such as Times Television, which was shut down in 2019, as well as YouTube, seminars, crusades and WhatsApp groups to spread extremist ideology and recruit followers.
According to the prosecution, the indoctrination intensified between 2020 and 2023, when followers were instructed to cut ties with society, abandon education, reject medical care and disengage from state institutions.
Parents were persuaded to withdraw children from school and relocate to Shakahola under false pretences.
Evidence presented showed that Mackenzie acquired 480 acres of land in Shakahola, which he subdivided into villages with biblical names.
A rigid command structure was imposed, enforced by guards, overseers, grave diggers and cooks, all operating under Mackenzie’s authority.
Investigators confirmed that 426 bodies were exhumed from the forest, though the actual death toll is believed to be higher, with many of the victims being children.
Medical and forensic evidence established starvation as the primary cause of death, initially encouraged and later enforced, with women and children targeted first.
Inspector Owade told the court that 28 rescued minors reported mental torture and coercion to fast to death, testimony corroborated by medical experts.
Chief Inspector Mwangi presented DNA evidence linking several accused persons to deceased children as parents or close relatives, highlighting the depth of manipulation.
Detective Mwatika described GNI as an organised criminal network whose activities fell within terrorism laws.
The church, which operated at least 25 branches nationwide, was gazetted as a criminal organisation in January 2024.
With the prosecution's case now closed, the court will hear final submissions before determining whether Mackenzie and his co-accused have a case to answer, a critical next step in the quest for accountability over the Shakahola tragedy.
