Prosecution witness narrates how he killed 43 faithful in Shakahola

Self-confessed Shakahola massacre perpetrator Enos Amanya Thursday revealed in a Mombasa court that more than 900 people died in the tragedy.

Amanya, alias Haleluya, told Mombasa Chief Magistrate Alex Ithuku that he was among the security team that supervised the burial of the deceased in shallow graves. 

The prosecution witness admitted that he and others orchestrated the deaths of innocent children and adults inside Shakahola forest. Amanya entered a plea bargain with the prosecution.

He said the killings resulted from suicide pacts and other methods, including tying the hands and legs of children and adults until death.

The massacre came to public attention in March 2023, when police began uncovering shallow graves and starving survivors linked to a religious cult.

Amanya entered a plea bargain with the prosecution and pleaded guilty to killing 43 people in Shakahola. He is expected to be convicted on a plea bargain.

In the past hearing, he told the court that his wife introduced him to Paul Makenzi — the controversial preacher and leader of the Good News International Church was linked to the killings — in 2019 and that he was drawn to his teachings about the second coming of Jesus and his rejection of formal education and healthcare.

Amanya, once a trusted confidant of Makenzi, settled in Shakahola, where he lost all his money and children.

He is now testifying against the other 190 accused persons, including his wife and his younger brother, David Amanya, who are charged alongside Makenzi. 

Yesterday, the 51-year-old told the court he had long harboured the idea of confessing but delayed due to fear and circumstances surrounding his arrest.

He said changes of advocates, incarceration, and lack of understanding of court procedures previously delayed him from making his confession in court.

Amanya eventually resorted to writing letters to judicial officers to share his confession, prompting the court to alert both prosecution and defence.

He said Makenzi’s gestures, like pointing his index finger upward, signalled followers to commence fasting, which continued even while he was in police custody.

Amanya told the court that security teams were formed within the forest to enforce fasting, dig graves, provide security, and transport bodies for burial.

He said forest canopies were cleared to create secluded spaces where members fasted to death, with enforcement coordinated under Makenzi’s direction.

Amanya elaborated that he was nicknamed ‘Hallelujah’ because of praying loudly despite Makenzi having warned them to avoid worshipping and praying the moment they were at Shakahola. 

Amanya said that all the 190 persons facing manslaughter cases over the deaths linked to the cult that operated in plain sight in Malindi were disciples of Makenzi and not Jesus.

He blamed himself for the death of his children but blames his wife more since she was always with the children while at Shakahola and he was not at home due to his security assignments. 

He says he was once arrested with some chapatis and tea while taking them to his wife, and his security colleagues did not want to hear any explanation but labelled him a traitor. 

He sent the court to laughter when he told the court that Makenzi told them that he was already in heaven and was waiting for all of them so that he could close the door, yet they were together physically. 

He testified that the cult followers agreed to die by suicide to hasten Makenzi’s promise of meeting Jesus.

The witness said he started to question how Makenzi could close the door into heaven, claiming he was inside, yet he was already with them on earth. 

Amanya described Makenzi as a dangerously deceptive leader who even boasted about sacrificing followers to protect himself in case of trouble.

He testified that members agreed to deaths by a suicide pact to hasten Makenzi’s promise of meeting Jesus.

The convict said he disagreed with Makenzi’s doomsday doctrine shortly after entering Shakahola Forest from Malindi.

He added that such directives contradicted mainstream Christian teachings, which derive authority and guidance from the Holy Bible.

He told Chief Magistrate Ithuku that Makenzi’s actions strongly contradicted his public portrayal as an anointed servant of God, which prompted him to question his extreme teachings.

According to Amanya, Makenzi said he had a dream while taking a shower that those who died by starvation would receive special treatment in heaven.

He told the court Makenzi further claimed that he would be the last person to die, closing heaven’s door, and warned that anyone left behind would perish in hell.

The witness said Makenzi’s actions strongly contradicted his preaching, prompting him to break ranks while staying in the forest out of fear.

He accused some of Makenzi’s lieutenants, who were also accused in court, of creating conflict between him and his wife, Anne Anyoso Alukhwe, and their children.

Amanya said his wife, a strong Makenzi adherent, misled their children into adopting extreme doctrines, forcing them to observe fatal fasts.