MOMBASA, Kenya — The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) has opened its case in the Kwa Binzaro murder trial, calling key witnesses to testify against controversial preacher Paul Nthenge Mackenzie and seven co-accused over the deaths of at least 52 followers.
Appearing before High Court Judge Wendy Kagendo in Mombasa, Principal Prosecution Counsel Victor Owiti told the court the case represents a second wave of deaths linked to extremist religious practices associated with Mackenzie.
The prosecution said the country is still grappling with the aftermath of the Shakahola forest tragedy, which left at least 429 people dead. It now alleges that in 2025, Mackenzie orchestrated another incident at Kwa Binzaro, resulting in 52 additional deaths.
According to the prosecution, Mackenzie’s co-accused—led by Shallyne Anindo Temba and Kahindi Kazungu Garama—helped spread radical teachings linked to Good News International, allegedly encouraging followers to undertake fatal fasting rituals. Others are accused of facilitating the movement of victims to the forest.
The court heard that some followers withdrew their children from school before travelling to the site, where the prosecution claims they were subjected to extreme practices that led to their deaths.
Prosecutors argued that the acts amount to murder and could constitute crimes against humanity, describing them as part of a widespread and systematic attack on civilians.
The prosecution’s first witness, Michael Mwania from the State Department of Lands and Physical Planning, testified that he participated in mapping the Kwa Binzaro site.
He told the court the location lies about four kilometres from Shakahola Forest and that his team recorded coordinates and marked graves and other key points.
A second witness, Chief Inspector Timothy Bett of the Crime Scene Processing Unit, gave detailed forensic evidence. He testified that investigators exhumed 30 intact bodies and recovered 102 body parts, which were later matched through forensic analysis to 52 individuals.
Bett told the court many bodies were found naked and buried in shallow graves—some less than two feet deep—while others were scattered, suggesting disturbance by wild animals. He added that several graves had been concealed under thick vegetation and thorny branches.
The prosecution team is led by Deputy Directors of Public Prosecutions Joseph Kimanthi and Jami Yamina, alongside senior counsel including Victor Owiti, Betty Rubia, Frank Sirima, and Nancy Cherop.
