Shakahola Massacre: Detective details harrowing exhumations

The High Court in Mombasa heard chilling testimonies in the case of the Shakahola Massacre, which shook the country in March 2023.

In the case, 30 suspects, among them controversial preacher Paul Nthenge Mackenzie, are charged with the murder of 191 children.

Lady Justice Diana Kavedza heard testimony of four witnesses, including a homicide detective and bereaved family members who relived the tragic deaths of their loved ones inside the Shakahola forest.

A retired teacher, Francis Kahindi Wanje, described how his daughter, her husband and three grandchildren perished in the massacre.

Wanje recounted visiting the forest where he was shown their abandoned home and graves believed to hold their remains.

“Two of my grandchildren died in the forest. I managed to bury one after DNA identification, but another body is still missing," he said.

"y son-in-law’s body is still in the morgue because his father has not been able to cope with the trauma."

Wanje added that he had undergone counselling at Chiromo Hospital at his own expense, saying the experience left him deeply scarred.

The retired teacher said his late daughter is only survived by her elder son, the only survivor of the family.

His son-in-law, a GSU officer, perished alongside his wife and three children below 10 years old.

Another witness, Gertrude Luvuno Deche, narrated how her sisters Josephine Mwatsuma and Elizabeth Dzidza Mwatsuma perished along with their children in the Shakahola forest massacre.

She told the court that her sisters became hostile to relatives, and efforts to rescue them from the massacre hit a snag.

This is after reports emerged from neighbours and relatives that Mackenzie’s followers had begun fasting to death, with an indoctrinated promise to meet Jesus. 

She testified that her two sisters and their combined 10 children perished in the massacre.

Josephine Mbodze Mwatsuma, married to Evans Kalombe Sirya, the 4th accused person, had six children.

Elizabeth Dzidza Mwatsuma, who was married to the 8th accused person, Julius Katana Kazungu, had four children.

The witness testified that her sisters perished alongside their children, with their husbands now staring at a longer jail term, if they are convicted with 191 counts of murder.

Dzidza's body was later identified through DNA testing, while Mbodze's husband, Evans Sirya, denied reports of his wife and children’s deaths.

In his testimony, Detective Corporal Andrew Kisaka of the DCI Homicide Unit told the court that he was part of the team that exhumed bodies from shallow graves. 

He testified that he was tasked to handle children's bodies with some of the remains decomposed beyond recognition, while others showed signs of manual strangulation.

He was also tasked with transferring the bodies to Malindi Sub-County Hospital for preservation and DNA analysis. 

The detective presented over 100 postmortem reports with detailed information, including the state of each body and the causes of death.

During examination in chief by Assistant Directors of Public Prosecutions, Jami Yamina and Ngina Mutua and Principal Prosecution Counsel Betty Rubia, the witness told Justice Mochache that the identities of some bodies are still unknown despite DNA analysis. 

He stated that some graves contained several bodies, whilst some were found empty, presumably bodies transferred elsewhere to conceal from authority.

The detective said locals helped them receive counselling due to the trauma of being exposed to the harrowing state of the exhumed bodies.

The hearing was adjourned to October 6, to October 9, 2025, when 17 witnesses are set to testify, four per day.