MOMBASA, Kenya — A key suspect in the ongoing Shakahola massacre trial has told the court that conscience, fear, and overwhelming evidence led him to confess his role in the deaths of dozens of followers.
Enos Amanya Ngala, also known as Haleluya, appeared before Chief Magistrate Hon. Alex Ithuku at the Mombasa Law Courts, where he recounted the factors that compelled him to come forward and admit his involvement.
Haleluya told the court that the influence of controversial preacher Paul Nthenge Mackenzie and his militant followers kept him silent while inside the Shakahola forest.
He described Mackenzie as a dangerously manipulative leader who rejected mainstream Christian practices, denounced worship, and even instructed followers to burn the Holy Bible and other Christian scriptures, actions he said sharply contradicted accepted Christian teachings.
According to Haleluya’s testimony, Mackenzie promised his followers “special seats in heaven” if they starved themselves to death.
Why key suspect Enos Amenya confessed my Shakahola sinsEnos Amanya Ngala, alias Haleluya, a key suspect in the ongoing Shakahola massacre trial today told a Mombasa court his decision to come forward and confess to his role in the deaths was driven by conscience, fear, and the
Mackenzie allegedly declared that he would be the last to die, symbolically “closing heaven’s door” once others had perished.
Haleluya told the court that coded language was used to conceal the atrocities.
Terms such as “Jeti” referred to fasting to death, while “Shujaa” described those who had already died under the extreme doctrine.
The suspect admitted that he participated in digging graves and burying victims in shallow mass graves.
In a heartbreaking revelation, he said he lost all six of his own children to the group’s extreme practices — personally burying two before learning that the other four had also died.
He acknowledged that he and other accused persons orchestrated deaths through enforced starvation and other cruel acts under Mackenzie’s directive.
The court heard that upon arrest, Amanya initially disclosed his role to a senior General Service Unit (GSU) officer but was advised to formally present his account before a judicial officer.
He later wrote letters expressing his desire to openly confess his involvement, prompting the court to notify both the prosecution and his lawyers.
The prosecution team in the case is led by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) through Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Jami Yamina, alongside Principal Prosecution Counsels Alex Ndiema, Victor Owiti, Betty Rubia, and Prosecution Counsel Yassir Mohamed.
Mackenzie and 94 others are facing 283 counts of manslaughter related to the Shakahola deaths, one of the most high‑profile and tragic criminal cases in recent Kenyan history.
