By THEDISPATCH.DIGITAL REPORTER
In a gripping testimony, the seventh prosecution witness in the Shakahola massacre terrorism-related case recounted the horrific ordeal of being compelled to assist in the forced fasting of his one-and-a-half-year-old daughter, leading to her death.
Testifying before Shanzu Senior Principal Magistrate Leah Juma, the protected witness revealed his initial attempts to protect his child. However, he eventually gave in to the relentless pressure from elders who enforced the fast and monitored the resulting deaths. These elders were reportedly acting on the orders of Paul Nthege Mackenzie, the prime suspect in the massacre, who had indoctrinated his followers with radical teachings.
The witness described how he was forced to deprive his daughter of food and water, resulting in her death after 15 agonizing days. He also recounted that his wife died after enduring a ten-day starvation period in a makeshift tent where she had relocated to comply with Mackenzie’s commands.
Over the course of two days, the witness provided a chilling account of how Mackenzie’s radical doctrines led to the deaths of over 400 people in the Shakahola forest. According to his testimony, many children died between January and February 2023 following Mackenzie’s declaration of a fasting period. Initially voluntary, the fasting regime later became mandatory. The witness noted that Mackenzie personally conducted burials for the children who died of starvation.
The witness also shared his own failed attempts to escape, hindered by fear of capture and a lack of resources. Following his child’s death, his wife moved deeper into the forest, in line with an order requiring fasting followers to evade police detection. During this period, police and families were actively searching for missing loved ones.
After his wife’s death, the witness spent his remaining time in the forest transporting bodies from makeshift tents to burial sites and digging graves. He testified that he too began fasting, occasionally breaking it by consuming honey and water.
These harrowing revelations emerged during his examination-in-chief, conducted by the prosecution team comprising Peter Kiprop, Jami Yamina, Anthony Musyoka, Victor Owiti, Betty Rubia, and Peris Ogega.
The court adjourned the hearing until September 30, 2024, with further proceedings scheduled for October 1 to October 3, 2024, and October 28 to October 31, 2024