MOMBASA, Kenya, Jul 22 – A prosecution witness in the ongoing Kwa Binzaro manslaughter trial on Tuesday told the court that his brother embraced teachings allegedly propagated by Pastor Paul Mackenzie discouraging children from attending school and urging followers not to seek medical treatment, claiming it was against God’s will.
Testifying virtually before Senior Principal Magistrate Eric Wambo at the Mombasa Law Courts, Julius Charo said the beliefs frequently caused conflict between his brother, Harrison, and his wife before the family relocated to Shakahola.
Charo told the court that Harrison, a preacher at Good News International Church led by Mackenzie, later purchased land in Shakahola and moved there with his family.
The witness said he made three separate trips to Shakahola in search of his brother but was unable to trace him. During one visit, he met Pastor Mackenzie and asked about Harrison’s whereabouts but did not receive any information.
On his third visit, Charo said he and other relatives were turned away by police after they were informed that an exhumation exercise was underway. They were referred to the Kenya Red Cross help desk following reports of deaths in the area.
He further testified that in 2025 he received information that Harrison had been spotted in Malindi with another woman before allegedly relocating to Kwa Binzaro. Charo later provided DNA samples to investigators and was informed by officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) that the samples matched one of the bodies recovered during the Kwa Binzaro exhumations, believed to be that of his brother.
The court also heard testimony from Caroline Adhiambo, who said her husband became a follower of Pastor Mackenzie’s teachings after watching Times TV. She testified that he stopped paying school fees for their six children after embracing teachings discouraging formal education and medical treatment, leaving her to support the family alone.
Adhiambo said her husband later disappeared with two of their children after claiming he was travelling to Homa Bay. She reported them missing and later learned they had travelled to Mombasa before allegedly proceeding to Shakahola. She eventually identified her husband’s body after being contacted by investigators.
Pastor Mackenzie and five co-accused are jointly facing 29 counts of manslaughter. The case continues on Thursday with more prosecution witnesses expected to testify.