Witness: ‘I lost 12 relatives to the Shakahola cult’

avdeltanews@gmail.com

A 60-year-old man gave a heartfelt testimony before Tononoka Children’s Court, recounting how nearly his entire family was wiped out in the Shakahola tragedy linked to Pastor Paul Nthenge Mackenzie and his Good News International Church.

Mr Titus Ngonjo Gandi spoke with deep sorrow about how his wife Esther Birya Masha, drew their two(2) sons--Harry and Isaack Ngala--into what is allegedly Mackenzie’s sect. 

Both sons, along with their wives and children, abandoned education, jobs, and family duties to follow the church’s teachings.

Mr Ngonjo said his eldest son Harry, his wife, and their five(5) children tragically died in the forest.

His second son Isaack, formerly a disciplined officer in the General Service Unit (GSU), resigned his job after embracing the controversial sect’s belief that salaried work was sinful.

Isaack’s wife, a teacher whom was then employed by the government, also quit her job and relocated with him and their three(3) children to the vast Shakahola forest.

Tragically, Isaack, his wife, and two(2) of their children also died in the forest, leaving only one(1) grandchild alive.

Read: Shakahola: Prison boss dismisses Pastor Paul Mackenzie’s claims of threats at Shimo la Tewa

Mr Ngonjo now cares for this surviving child, whom he described as “the flower of my eyes.”

He told Principal Magistrate Nelly Chepchirchir that he had managed to bury two(2) of the 12 family members who perished in the massacre.

The loss of his wife, two(2) sons, their wives, and grandchildren has devastated him.

Mzee Ngonjo recalled warning his wife against joining the church, which openly condemned education, and formal employment.

“Our marriage suffered after she embraced Pastor Mackenzie’s teachings,” he said.

“The church’s message misled society by teaching that education and work were evil.”

He also revealed that Isaack withdrew their eldest son, Seith Ngala, from school, following the sect’s radical doctrine.

Mr Ngonjo lamented how Mackenzie’s teachings transformed productive citizens into dependents who abandoned their families, leaving them to starve.

He emotionally recounted the last meal he shared with his wife before she disappeared into the Shakahola forest, never to return.

DNA analysis later confirmed the identities of some of his family members, whose remains he buried, although one(1) grandson remains unaccounted for.

Mr Ngonjo said he first met Pastor Mackenzie during his wife’s burial, having only seen him before on social media.

He also identified other cult members he knew, including Smart Mwakalama and Evans Sirya.

The testimony was heard in the presence of prosecutors Janet Mwenda and Benjamin Njiru, while defence lawyers Patrick Lumumba and Sylvia Njoki represented the accused.

He concluded by pleading with the court for swift justice. 

“My family has been wiped out by radical indoctrination,” he said, his voice heavy with grief.