Cult leader Paul Mackenzie has come under scrutiny as testimony in court reveals details about his acquisition of land in the Shakahola region.
Shadrack Baya Yaa, the 10th witness in the ongoing trial where Mackenzie and 93 others face 238 counts of manslaughter related to deaths in Shakahola Forest, provided insights into how Mackenzie obtained part of the land from the Mwabaya Mwaro clan.
Background of Land Acquisition
Mackenzie relocated to Shakahola in December 2019 after closing his Good News International church in Furunzi, Malindi.
According to Yaa, who is a 42-year-old farmer, Mackenzie settled on their ancestral land with the assistance of his uncle, Salimu Jefwa Mwaro.
Yaa testified that he was unaware of the specific details of the transaction but confirmed that Mackenzie expressed interest in purchasing a 10-acre parcel of land near the road.
In 2020, Yaa was approached by Mackenzie, who inquired about the possibility of buying his land. They agreed on a sale price of Sh50,000, with Yaa stating that Mackenzie provided him with a typed sale agreement the following day.
However, Yaa never received a copy of the agreement due to a claimed power outage at the time of photocopying.
Life in Shakahola
After acquiring the land, Mackenzie reportedly built a mud-walled, iron-roofed house on the property but chose to reside in the forest, approximately eight kilometers away.
Yaa noted a significant change in the community as more people, particularly women dressed in long dresses and with short hair, began frequenting his cereal shop near Shakahola Youth Polytechnic.
This influx of new faces prompted Yaa to expand his business by purchasing a posho mill.
However, by January 2023, Yaa observed a drastic decline in customers, which he attributed to some returning to their homes.
In March of the same year, he learned from a young man that Mackenzie had allocated three acres of his land to another individual after the latter ignored Mackenzie’s warnings to stop working.
Discovery of Tragedy
Yaa’s testimony took a darker turn when he recounted learning about the mysterious deaths in Shakahola.
After receiving alarming news about the deaths of 14 children, he alerted the Galana GSU camp. Upon returning to Shakahola, he found police exhuming bodies and joined the search for survivors in the forest.
During the search, Yaa encountered a severely malnourished man and a young boy who had been beaten for attempting to drink water.
He assisted in rescuing them and took photos of the survivors to share with the police. The situation escalated, leading to the declaration of Shakahola as a crime scene by Interior CS Kithure Kindiki.