The son of convicted preacher Paul Mackenzie has revealed that he rejected his father’s teachings years before followers began relocating to Shakahola, a decision he says spared him from becoming a victim of one of Kenya’s deadliest cult-related tragedies.
Dan Mackenzie, 24, spoke after the Mombasa High Court convicted his father and 28 co-accused of 191 counts of murder linked to deaths at Shakahola in Kilifi County.
The court found them guilty over the deaths of 190 children and one adult, concluding that followers were subjected to an organized system of religious indoctrination and fasting that led to their deaths.
Dan said he felt relieved by the verdict and believed justice had finally been served for victims and their families.
“I have been a victim too from what he was doing over there in Shakahola. A bit relief to us and to the victims that justice has happened to them. I am not sad, I am okay, relaxed. It’s him, I did not do it, it is not me. Yes, he is guilty,” he said.
Breaking Away from Paul Mackenzie
According to Dan, he walked away from his father’s teachings after years of what he described as harsh discipline within the church.
He claimed that at the age of 12, he was forced to fast for an entire week and later endured a three-hour beating by church members for resisting church activities.
Also Read: KDF Issues Clarification on Recruitment Notices for 2026
The experience, he said, marked the beginning of his rebellion against the movement.
“I got tired of his teachings and what he was doing. That is why I was not there,” he said.
According to him, he never relocated to Shakahola because he had already grown tired of the doctrines being preached.
The boda boda rider from Malindi said he became disillusioned with his father’s teachings while growing up in the church and eventually walked away from the movement.
Dan said the rift between him and his father widened over time before the preacher eventually told him he was on his own.
The fallout led him to leave school in Class Seven, take on casual work, and later become a motorcycle taxi operator in Malindi.
His account has emerged a day after the landmark judgment in which Justice Diana Kavedza-Mochache found that followers of Paul Mackenzie’s Good News International Church were persuaded to relocate to Shakahola, where fasting was enforced through an organized structure involving church leaders and followers.
Justice Served
Dan said he sympathised with families who lost loved ones in Shakahola and expressed hope that the verdict would offer them some comfort.
“May their soul rest in peace to those who lost their families in Shakaola. It’s sad what they went through over there and I hope this has relieved them,” he said.
Also Read: Shakahola Cult Leader Paul Mackenzie Found Guilty of Murdering 191 People
Dan said he had already spoken to his father after the verdict, but the conversation changed nothing.
“I’ve already spoken to him. He told me that I’ve betrayed him. I don’t know from what. Nothing, I have nothing to say to him,” he said.
He added that he only learnt the full extent of what had allegedly happened in Shakahola after his father’s arrest and during the subsequent court proceedings.
Dan also spoke about his younger siblings, saying three sisters and two brothers had been rescued and were currently living at a rescue centre.
He said that he hoped they may have a good life and they will not have to pay for the mistakes of their father.
Follow our WhatsApp Channel and X Account for real-time news updates.
