Kenya Minute.
Tuesday, 13 October 2026
Kenya’s news, on the hour · Est. 2026
Tuesday, 13 October 2026
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Kenyan press · Person

Paul Mackenzie

Also known as: Pastor Paul Mackenzie · Pastor Mackenzie · Paul Nthenge Mackenzie

Preacher accused of involvement in deaths at Shakahola forest between January and July 2025, facing multiple manslaughter and terrorism charges.

2026-04-292026-10-13

In coverage

Verbatim sentences from the source article.

  1. July 2026
  2. Capital News

    MALINDI, Kenya, Jul 21 – A prosecution witness on Monday told a court hearing the Shakahola manslaughter case how his father’s devotion to the teachings of Pastor Paul Mackenzie led him to resign from the Kenya Prisons Service before the family disappeared. …

    Witness Tells Court How Father’s Faith Led Him to Quit Prison Job in Shakahola Manslaughter Trial
  3. Capital News

    MALINDI, Kenya, Jul 21 – A prosecution witness on Monday told a court hearing the Shakahola manslaughter case how his father’s devotion to the teachings of Pastor Paul Mackenzie led him to resign from the Kenya Prisons Service before the family disappeared. …

    Witness Tells Court How Father’s Faith Led Him to Quit Prison Job in Shakahola Manslaughter Trial
  4. June 2026
  5. Capital News

    NAIROBI, Kenya Jun 9 – The Shakahola massacre trial continued at the Tononoka Law Courts where the prosecution cross-examined defence witnesses in the case against Paul Mackenzie and 39 co-accused persons. …

    Witness in Shakahola Trial Detail Child Neglect and Isolation Claims
  6. May 2026
  7. Citizen Digital

    Shakahola massacre case: Woman tells court her six dead children are 'happily in heaven' By Joseph Muia May 28, 2026 06:10 (EAT) Add as a Preferred Source on Google Follow us Follow on Whatsapp Follow on Google Follow on Twitter Shakahola massacre prime suspect Paul Mackenzie and …

    Shakahola massacre case: Woman tells court her six dead children are 'happily in heaven'
  8. The Standard

    … In 2023, Oduor was the lead government pathologist in the harrowing Shakahola massacre investigations, conducting autopsies on the first batch of victims linked to the forest cult associated with Paul Mackenzie. …

    Chief Government Pathologist Dr Johansen Oduor admitted to the roll of advocates
  9. April 2026
  10. Citizen Digital

    Forensic evidence, survivor testimony link Mackenzie to Kwa Binzaro deaths By Citizen Reporter April 29, 2026 05:13 (EAT) Add as a Preferred Source on Google Follow us Follow on Whatsapp Follow on Google Follow on Twitter Controversial preacher Paul Mackenzieand his co-accused pe …

    Forensic evidence, survivor testimony link Mackenzie to Kwa Binzaro deaths

Thursday 8 October

  1. Sifuna pushes for DNA completion before Shakahola remains burial

    Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has asked the Senate Standing Committee on Justice, Legal Affairs and Human Rights to establish the status of DNA profiling and forensic examinations on 443 unclaimed Shakahola remains, and to ensure all identification efforts are completed before Kilifi County buries them by December 2026.

    8 October 2026 · Capital News →

Monday 21 September

  1. Kilifi County to conduct mass burial of Shakahola victims by December

    Kilifi County plans to dispose of 443 embalmed bodies of Shakahola massacre victims by December, after receiving approval from investigators and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations. Unclaimed bodies will be buried 21 days after gazette publication, with 14 bodies already identified by families.

    21 September 2026 · Citizen Digital →

  2. Kilifi to bury 443 unclaimed Shakahola remains by December

    The Kilifi County Government plans to dispose of 443 unclaimed Shakahola remains by December after the Directorate of Criminal Investigations completed its investigations. The county is urging relatives to identify victims before legal deadlines for interment expire, with 14 bodies identified so far.

    21 September 2026 · Capital News →

  3. Families have 21 days to claim 443 Shakahola massacre victims

    The Kilifi County Government has given families 21 days to identify and collect 443 bodies preserved at Malindi Sub County Hospital, with unclaimed remains to be buried by December 2026 near Shakahola Forest in a manner allowing future identification.

    21 September 2026 · The Standard →

Friday 4 September

  1. Kwa Binzaro trial hears witness accounts of radical teachings

    Five prosecution witnesses testified in the trial of eight suspects, including preacher Paul Mackenzie, accused of involvement in the deaths of 52 people. Evidence presented included accounts of religious indoctrination, abandonment of education and medical care, prolonged fasting, and disappearances of followers in the Malindi area.

    4 September 2026 · Capital News →

Friday 28 August

  1. AG warns of surge in church registrations and violent governance disputes

    Kenya's Attorney General Dorcas Oduor has flagged the rapid growth in church registration applications—nearly 60 per month—linked to severe governance failures, financial disagreements, and leadership conflicts within religious institutions. Internal church elections have become volatile, often escalating into violent clashes, forcing the state to intervene in legal disputes over leadership and assets.

    28 August 2026 · Citizen Digital →

Friday 7 August

  1. Witness claims Mackenzie transformed into snake in Shakahola

    A witness in the Shakahola massacre trial told Mombasa court that pastor Paul Mackenzie allegedly transformed into a snake and bit her husband, and described how he persuaded followers to fast to death in the forest to meet Jesus.

    7 August 2026 · Citizen Digital →

Wednesday 5 August

  1. Mackenzie terror trial opens with sixty witnesses over Kwa Binzaro deaths

    The prosecution opened its terrorism case against preacher Paul Mackenzie and seven co-accused in a Shanzu court over the Kwa Binzaro killings, saying it will call about 60 witnesses, including protected witnesses, while adopting prior testimony from eighteen witnesses in an earlier High Court case to prosecute allegations linked to fifty-two deaths.

    5 August 2026 · Capital News →

Friday 24 July

  1. Son recounts father's disappearance after joining Mackenzie's church

    In the ongoing Kwa Binzaro manslaughter case against preacher Paul Mackenzie and five co-accused, prosecution witnesses testified that a witness's father disappeared after becoming a devoted follower of Mackenzie's teachings, with his remains later identified through DNA analysis. Mackenzie faces 29 counts of manslaughter linked to deaths associated with the Shakahola tragedy.

    24 July 2026 · Capital News →

Wednesday 22 July

  1. Witness testifies brother abandoned school, medical care for Mackenzie teachings

    A prosecution witness in the Kwa Binzaro manslaughter trial told a Mombasa court that his brother, a preacher at Good News International Church, abandoned schooling and medical treatment after embracing teachings by Pastor Paul Mackenzie that discouraged education and medical care as against God's will. The witness said he made three trips to Shakahola searching for his brother but was unable to locate him, and later learned he had been spotted in Malindi.

    22 July 2026 · Capital News →

Tuesday 21 July

  1. Witness describes father's faith-driven prison resignation in Shakahola trial

    A prosecution witness testified that his father resigned from the Kenya Prisons Service in 2021 after adopting Pastor Paul Mackenzie's teachings, which discouraged medical treatment and formal education. The witness appeared in the ongoing manslaughter trial against Mackenzie and five co-accused, who face 29 counts of manslaughter over alleged deaths at Shakahola between January and July 2025.

    21 July 2026 · Capital News →

  2. Witness describes family's faith shift leading to Shakahola relocation

    A prosecution witness in the Shakahola manslaughter trial testified that his father resigned from the Kenya Prisons Service in 2021 after embracing Pastor Paul Mackenzie's teachings, which discouraged medical treatment and formal education. The witness, Japheth Lennox, described how his family relocated to Shakahola after encountering Mackenzie's broadcasts on Times TV while living in Migori County.

    21 July 2026 · Capital News →

Tuesday 9 June

  1. Shakahola trial hears claims of child neglect and isolation

    The prosecution cross-examined defence witnesses at the Shakahola massacre trial against Paul Mackenzie and 39 co-accused, with seven individuals testifying about alleged child neglect, isolation, and extremist teachings within the suspected commune. Witnesses described relocating children despite knowing there were no schools in the area, enforced social restrictions, physical punishment of minors, and ideological justification for withdrawing children from formal education.

    9 June 2026 · Capital News →

Thursday 28 May

  1. Shakahola massacre defence: Woman says children fasted willingly to death

    In the Shakahola massacre case at Shanzu Law Courts, an accused woman testified that her six dead children willingly fasted to death to "meet their Creator" and dug their own graves before dying, expressing belief they are "happily in heaven."

    28 May 2026 · Citizen Digital →

Monday 25 May

  1. Chief Government Pathologist admitted to roll of advocates

    Dr Johansen Oduor, the Chief Government Pathologist, has been admitted to the roll of advocates of the High Court of Kenya after completing legal training. He was enrolled as an advocate during a ceremony presided over by Chief Justice Martha Koome, joining 166 lawyers called to the Bar.

    25 May 2026 · The Standard →

Wednesday 29 April

  1. Forensic evidence presented against preacher Mackenzie in court

    Prosecutors presented forensic evidence and survivor testimony to the Mombasa High Court linking controversial preacher Paul Mackenzie to deaths in Shakahola forest. A forensic expert testified that investigators collected and analyzed samples including DNA from exhumed bodies, following internationally accepted procedures.

    29 April 2026 · Citizen Digital →

Paul Mackenzie — Kenyan press coverage · Kenya Minute