Expert: ‘Paul Mackenzie twisted Bible teachings to mislead followers’

A court expert has told the Shanzu Law Courts that Pastor Paul Mackenzie distorted Bible teachings to control and mislead his followers.

Dr Stephen Gathogo Anyenda, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Coast Interfaith Council of Clerics, said Mackenzie’s teachings were extreme and unbiblical.

He told the court that Mackenzie’s sermons on YouTube wrongly taught that fasting could lead to heaven.

“Christian fasting is for seeking God’s guidance and repentance, not a ticket to heaven,” Dr Anyenda said.

He warned that misreading the Bible can lead to dangerous cults and the rejection of essential services such as education and healthcare.

His report explained that Mackenzie’s followers abandoned hospitals, ignored beauty care, and refused to register for Huduma Namba based on false doctrine.

The expert said such teachings misrepresent Christianity and endanger lives.

The case involves Mackenzie and 92 followers charged under the Prevention of Terrorism Act and the Prevention of Organised Crime Act over the Shakahola deaths.

A Tanzanian man whose wife is among the accused also testified, saying his three sons went missing after joining Mackenzie’s church.

DNA results from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations linked him to one of the bodies recovered from Shakahola.

“I have not faced my parents since my children disappeared,” he said. “I don’t know how to tell them their grandsons may be dead.”

The hearing continues in Shanzu with prosecutor Jami Yamina leading the case for the DPP.