NAIROBI, Kenya — Paul Mackenzie, the embattled preacher at the centre of the Shakahola massacre, is back in the spotlight after new human remains were discovered in Kilifi — but his legal team says he’s got nothing to do with it.
This week, police uncovered a chilling scene in Binzaro village, Chakama Ranch — not far from the infamous Shakahola Forest.
Authorities arrested three suspects and rescued four others from what they described as a radicalised religious setup operating deep in the bush. The raid also revealed a grim find: two human skulls and a recently deceased body.
The location is just kilometres away from where over 400 followers of Mackenzie’s Good News International Ministries were found buried last year, having allegedly starved themselves to death under his religious teachings. Mackenzie has been behind bars since March 2023 and faces a litany of charges ranging from manslaughter to terrorism and religious radicalisation.
But his lawyers are now pushing back hard against any attempts to drag him into this fresh case.
“There’s talk that one of the suspects may have once been part of Mackenzie’s church,” said one of his lawyers on Friday. “But that’s hearsay at this point. Anyone can claim religious affiliation. What matters is evidence, and there is none linking Mackenzie to these latest events.”
The defence insists that the preacher’s continued detention makes it illogical to associate him with any new offshoots or crimes occurring beyond prison walls.
“He’s been in custody for over two and a half years. How could he possibly be orchestrating anything outside?” the lawyer asked. “These are new incidents, and trying to tie them to Mackenzie without facts is both unfair and premature.”
The legal team was also tight-lipped on the wider allegations of radicalisation, pointing to the ongoing court proceedings.
“We won’t get into specifics. That would be sub judice,” said the lawyer. “But what we maintain is that Mackenzie preached the word of God — that’s what he was known for.”
Interestingly, the lawyer added that Mackenzie had already served a separate sentence last year for failing to take his children to school — a charge unconnected to the more serious accusations now pending.
With the country still reeling from the horrors of Shakahola and the justice system under pressure to deliver answers, Mackenzie’s name remains radioactive. Whether the new Chakama discoveries will expand his legal troubles or end up being another unconnected tragedy is now in the hands of investigators.
