High Court to visit Shakahola, Kwa Bi Nzaro sites as judges seek first-hand account of suspected cult deaths
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The High Court will this week shift proceedings from the courtroom to the forests at the centre of the Shakahola and Kwa Bi Nzaro investigations, as judges seek to better understand the physical environment where prosecutors allege followers of controversial preacher Paul Mackenzie were subjected to extreme religious indoctrination that led to deaths.
The site visit forms part of the ongoing trial in which Mackenzie, Sharleen Temba Anindo alias Ann, and other suspects face charges linked to the deaths of followers whom prosecutors say were convinced that starvation was a path to salvation.
The court will inspect sites in Malindi, Shakahola forest and Kwa Bi Nzaro forest, areas investigators say were linked to the movement of followers before their deaths.
The visit is expected to give the court a clearer understanding of how the alleged activities were organised, including where victims were accommodated, separated and held before being taken to forest camps.
Prosecutors argue that physically examining the locations will help the court test witness testimonies describing a system in which followers were allegedly isolated from their families, instructed to fast, and prevented from leaving.
During the trial, several witnesses have told the court they lost relatives, including children, after joining Mackenzie’s Good News International Church.
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Content retrieved from: https://eastleighvoice.co.ke/news/370897/high-court-to-visit-shakahola-kwa-bi-nzaro-sites-as-judges-seek-first-hand-account-of-suspected-cult-deaths.
