MOMBASA, Kenya, Jul 24 – The prosecution on Thursday presented five additional witnesses in the ongoing Kwa Binzaro manslaughter case against controversial preacher Paul Mackenzie and five co-accused, with a key witness recounting how his father disappeared after becoming a devoted follower of Mackenzie’s teachings.
Pastor Paul Mackenzie, alongside Shallyne Temba, Kahindi Garama, Tom Mkonwe, Julius Luwali and Johnson Richard, is facing 29 counts of manslaughter linked to deaths associated with the Shakahola tragedy.
The witnesses testified before Senior Principal Magistrate Eric Wambo at the Mombasa Law Courts, with four appearing virtually and one testifying in person.
Boniface Ochieng, whose father’s remains were later identified through DNA analysis, told the court that his father was originally the founder of Neno Evangelism Centre, a church that was later renamed Grace Revival Church before eventually becoming Kanisa la Yesu.
He testified that his father’s close friend, Samuel Owino, introduced him to Pastor Mackenzie’s teachings, leading to a dramatic shift in the church’s beliefs and practices.
According to Ochieng, his father helped finance a church conference at Busia Polytechnic in February 2020, attended by Mackenzie, Servant George, Samuel Owino and congregants from Malindi.
Although he attended only the first day of the conference, Ochieng said the teachings discouraged formal education, seeking medical treatment and any engagement with government institutions.
He further testified that another conference was later held at the family’s home, where his father sought financial assistance from him to support visiting congregants.
Ochieng also told the court that he stopped attending school after his father instructed him to do so shortly before schools closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. When schools reopened, he and his siblings failed to return and were eventually arrested before being taken back to school while court proceedings over the matter continued.
He said that in early 2025, his father contacted him claiming he had secured employment in South Africa and Nigeria and asked him to return home to collect important documents, including a title deed, before his departure.
After returning to Nairobi on March 18, 2025, Ochieng said he was unable to reach either of his parents by phone. He asked a friend to check on the family home, only to learn it had been abandoned.
When he later forced entry into the locked house, he discovered four Tahmeed Coach bus tickets to Mombasa.
The discovery reminded him of earlier conversations in which his father had spoken about travelling to the “wilderness” for what he described as fasting until death.
Ochieng reported his parents missing at Vigilance House Police Headquarters, where detectives later collected his DNA samples. He told the court he was subsequently informed that the DNA matched the remains of his deceased father.
The prosecution also called Police Constable Alfred Kipchumba, who testified that officers arrested three of the accused—Shallyne Temba, Kahindi Garama and Tom Mkonwe—during an operation in Mtopanga, Bamburi, on July 20, 2025. Four mobile phones were recovered during the arrests.
Another witness, landlord Steven Ngala, testified that he rented a room to Shallyne Temba in April 2025 for KSh1,500 per month. He said a man introduced as her brother and later another woman joined her before they relocated to a nearby rental house.
Ngala also told the court that Temba later brought another man from the Coast region to rent one of his rooms, where he stayed for about two weeks before leaving without notice.
The prosecution further presented testimony from Mbaraka Kahindi and Hamisi Abdillahi before closing the day’s proceedings.
The case will resume on September 21, 2026, for further hearing.
