MOMBASA, Kenya- The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has recorded a major breakthrough in the Shakahola massacre trial after one of the principal suspects, Enos Amanya, alias Hallelujah, pleaded guilty to 191 counts of murder, most of them involving children.
Amanya, one of 29 accused charged over the harrowing killings, admitted his role in the deaths and burials of victims between January 2021 and September 2023, bringing an end to 22 months of denial since the case began.
Appearing before Justice Diana Kavedza at the High Court in Mombasa, Amanya confessed that he acted in concert with Paul Nthenge Mackenzie and other co-accused in a coordinated scheme that led to the deaths of hundreds of sect members through starvation, abuse, and coercion.
Court proceedings revealed the names of 11 children among the victims, including Seth Hinzano Ngala, Evabra Dito Ngala, Sifa Edison, Nathan Mathu, Neema Robert, Joyce Amani, Stacy Hadama, Elna Mpa, Ejah Nyaleso, Sara Peter, and Patience Kahindi, while other victims were identified by initials, gender, and grave sites.
Prosecution, led by Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Jami Yamina, presented a detailed account of Amanya’s role, which included grave digging, providing security within Shakahola forest, and enforcing Mackenzie’s teachings.
Investigators explained that the sect used coded language where bodies were called “fertilizer,” burials were “planting,” and dying was “taking a jet” to meet Jesus.
Followers reportedly affirmed Mackenzie’s orders by shouting “Amina.”
Breakthrough for victims, DPP, in Shakahola massacre trial as Mackenzie co-accused pleads guilty to committing 191 murders.The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has recorded a major breakthrough in the Shakahola massacre trial after one of the principal suspects
Amanya admitted that his own children were among the victims, including Ejah Nyaleso and Senaida, whom he helped bury alongside his wife, Anne Anyoso Alukhwe, also an accused person.
He stated that only one child, Izrael Veronica, survived after rejecting the sect’s teachings.
The court heard that Mackenzie’s teachings demanded absolute obedience, punishing dissenters with brutal methods such as tying them with binding wire and beating them with sticks and tree branches until death.
After confirming the facts, Justice Kavedza convicted Amanya on his plea of guilty.
At the DPP’s request, the court directed the Coast Regional Probation and Aftercare Service to prepare a comprehensive victim impact assessment report to guide sentencing, with special consideration for the surviving child.
The convict was also ordered to be isolated for his safety at Shimo La Tewa Maximum Security Prison.
Pre-sentencing hearings for witnesses are scheduled from February 2 to February 6, 2026.
The prosecution formally closed its case after calling 120 witnesses, producing over 500 exhibits, and conducting six months of intensive hearings, highlighting the DPP’s determination to secure accountability and justice for the victims and their families.
