'He promised me a helicopter': Witness tells court in Pastor Mackenzie murder trial

One of the witnesses, Mr. Benson Mutimba, a resident of Webuye, told the court that Mackenzie had promised to buy him a helicopter if he remained loyal to his teachings. Mutimba, the 57th prosecution witness, said two of his children aged 27 and 16 abandoned their education after being convinced that schooling was evil.

He recounted that his eldest son, a student at Kibabii University, claimed Mackenzie was a “true man of God” and persuaded him to sell all his property and relocate to Shakahola with the hope of becoming rich.

“He told me Pastor Mackenzie had even promised him a helicopter if he continued following his teachings,” Mutimba testified.

After his children disappeared, Mutimba reported the matter to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI). Investigators traced one of their mobile phones to Malindi, near Mackenzie’s base of operations. Safaricom records later showed that his son had sent Ksh 200 to Mackenzie’s number upon arriving in Ukunda, Mombasa County.

The 58th prosecution witness, Jesca Safari Kone, the second-born in a family of nine, recounted losing contact with her sisters after they travelled to Shakahola. She said she later learned that three of her sisters and five of their children had died in the forest.

Another witness, Esther Anyango, the 59th to testify, said one of her daughters moved with her husband from Likoni to Shakahola, where she was later informed that her daughter had died during childbirth. Anyango told the court she has since lost contact with her son-in-law and two grandchildren, who remain missing.

The 60th witness, Roseline Anivisa Asena, from Embakasi South, testified that her brother had joined Mackenzie’s church and started enforcing its extreme doctrines, pulling his children out of school and rejecting medical treatment.

“My brother became harsh and burned his children’s school report cards and birth certificates,” she told the court. Roseline said she only realized her brother had gone to Shakahola after seeing him on television. Later, she saw footage of his wife being rescued from the forest, severely malnourished.

Children rescued and placed at Mayungu Children’s Home told her that three of her brother’s children had died and were buried in Chakama. “One child died and was buried at night in Shakahola,” she said, adding that another child was found alive but unable to speak or walk.

The 61st witness, Florence Mwahita Mwaigo, testified that her son, Alfonce Chomba, one of the accused, had lost his wife, Gloria Riziki, and one of their children, Nathan Chomba, in Shakahola. She said her son had become a staunch follower of Mackenzie and rejected both education and medical care, believing they were sinful.

The prosecution continues to build its case against Mackenzie and his co-accused, who face charges linked to the deaths of 191 people in the Shakahola forest.