Imprisoned preacher Paul Makenzi, already at the centre of Kenya’s deadliest cult tragedy, returned to the dock on fresh manslaughter charges linked to 28 more deaths in a remote splinter camp just four kilometres from the infamous Shakahola forest.
The hearing opened Tuesday at the Mombasa Law Courts, where crime scene officer Senior Sergeant Livingstone Lihanda painted a grim picture: shallow graves barely one foot deep, some holding multiple victims, with whole bodies, skeletal remains, scattered limbs and bones piled on top of one another. All 28 victims — including adults and children as young as six months — were followers of Makenzi’s Good News International Church.
A land surveyor confirmed the presence of several homesteads and temporary structures at the Kwa Binzaro site in Chakama location, Magarini Sub-County, Kilifi County, suggesting a hidden offshoot camp operated under the cult’s influence.
Prosecutors allege that between January and July 2025, Makenzi and seven co-accused orchestrated an unlawful attack as part of a deadly suicide pact. The state claims Makenzi directed the killings even while locked up at Shimo la Tewa maximum prison, using radical teachings to lure followers to the isolated spot.
The co-accused include self-styled priestess Shallyne Anindo Temba (alias Ann), Kahindi Kazungu Garama (alias Mlewa), Tom Ochieng Mkonwe (alias Thomas/Tomaso), Julius Tuva Luwali, Johnson Gona Richard, Charles Mutua Musee (alias Mzee Mutua), and James Kazungu Kahindi (alias Ponda/Baba Bura).
The charges feature 23 counts of murder as a crime against humanity under Kenya’s International Crimes Act and the Rome Statute, alongside manslaughter counts. Two protected witnesses testified as proceedings continued on Wednesday before Justice Wendy Micheni.
Makenzi, who has pleaded not guilty in related cases, already faces hundreds of murder and manslaughter charges over the main Shakahola massacre, where more than 429 bodies were exhumed after followers were allegedly starved to death in enforced fasting. He also stands accused of child abduction, trafficking and radicalization.
This latest case underscores the far-reaching grip of Makenzi’s ideology, with authorities recovering up to 52 bodies or remains from the Kwa Binzaro area in 2025. Some victims showed signs of strangulation, beating or suffocation in addition to starvation.
As Kenya grapples with one of its darkest chapters, the ongoing trials reveal how extreme beliefs continued to claim lives — even from behind prison walls. The hearing is set to proceed with more witnesses expected to take the stand.
