The prosecution onMonday cross-examined seven defence witnesses in the ongoing case of Republic v Paul Nthenge Mackenzie and 39 others before Principal Magistrate Nelly Chepchirchir at the Tononoka Law Courts.
The accused persons, 36 of whom are on their defence, face multiple charges linked to alleged offences against children and the violation of children’s rights arising from events connected to the Shakahola case.
One of the witnesses, Agness Jumba, the 37th accused person, told the court she has four children, including a protected witness in the matter. She testified that she learned about George Mwaura through Times TV, which she claimed was owned by Mackenzie, and later obtained his contact details through the station. She further said Mwaura, a pastor in Makongeni, later invited her to his home in Kasarani.
Jumba also sought to explain why her children were not enrolled in school, stating that the nearest school to Shakahola was about 21 kilometres away. She confirmed that one of her children previously attended Kawangware Primary School in Nairobi but stopped schooling at the age of 16.
She acknowledged parental responsibility in ensuring children attend school and admitted awareness that there were no schools in Shakahola when the child joined her there.
Lucas Owino, another defence witness aged 41, told the court he declined to swear using the Bible, describing himself as a “Mteule” (chosen one). He said he refrained because of what he described as a personal instruction from Jesus.
Owino testified that he had participated in fasting in Shakahola and lived in Samaria and Isikari villages, where he claimed to have seen Mackenzie. He also alleged that Mackenzie discouraged interaction among residents, citing witchcraft concerns.
Alice Kawira, aged 40, testified that she had two children, one of whom is deceased. She narrated the circumstances of the child’s death after returning from Bamburi, where the child had been receiving treatment for injuries.
Kawira also admitted withdrawing another child from school during the COVID-19 period and said the child did not resume schooling due to the absence of educational facilities in Shakahola.
Stephen Sanga, aged 37, told the court he has a 13-year-old child who had never lived in Shakahola. He admitted participating in the punishment of a child accused of stealing food, saying the action was carried out at the request of the child’s mother.
Catherine Wanjiru also testified, stating that her child last attended school in 2018 while preparing to join Class Four. She said she later instructed another individual to discipline the child due to her own inability to do so.
Gilbert Kea, from Malindi, told the court he has three children, one of whom left school in 2018 after he embraced what he described as “heavenly education” in place of formal schooling.
