The trial of preacher Paul Nthenge Mackenzie and his 35 co-accused took a grim turn on Thursday as emotional testimonies were presented at the Tononoka Children’s Court before Principal Magistrate Nelly Chepchirchir.
The accused face multiple charges, including child cruelty, torture, and denial of education, in connection with the Shakahola massacre.
One of the witnesses, Charles Adundo, an elderly grandfather, recounted how he last saw two of his grandchildren after their father took them to school.
“That was the last time I saw them,” Adundo told the court.
Another testimony came from 70-year-old Felida Vugusa of Kapkerer, who said her daughter, Sarah Khahisha, her son-in-law, Mulama, and their five children disappeared one Sunday while she was at church.
She added that Mulama had opposed formal education for the children and was attending a church she did not know much about.
The court also heard from government analyst Henry Kiptoo, who said DNA profiling of 333 family samples had identified 69 bodies from the Shakahola exhumations, some of which were confirmed to be children and relatives of the accused persons.
Further evidence was presented by Liwa Filbert, Director of the National Registration Bureau, who explained how fingerprint analysis helped identify more than 35 suspects who had allegedly given police false names.
In another testimony, 26-year-old Khadija Wilson described how she rescued a malnourished boy who had fled from Mackenzie’s area.
She said the boy was too weak to attend school and was sheltered for four months before being placed under state care.
“If we hadn’t rescued him, he would have died,” she said.
The hearing was adjourned to September 19.
