Malindi:Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have arrested the mother of controversial preacher Paul Nthenge Mackenzie and rescued eight children she allegedly withdrew from school and subjected to fasting. The arrest took place on Wednesday afternoon at the home of Anastasia Mumwele Mackenzie, located near the closed Good News International Church in Malindi town.
According to Kenya News Agency, the operation was led by Homicide Director Martin Nyuguto and Malindi Sub-County Children’s Officer Sebastian Muteti, who, along with other officers, raided Mackenzie’s Furunzi residence. The children, aged between six and fourteen, were found at the home and subsequently escorted to the Malindi Police Station along with their grandmother.
Investigators revealed that preliminary reports suggested the children were being forced to fast three days a week, although these allegations are pending verification through medical examination. Nyuguto stated that the police action was prompted by a report from Mackenzie’s firstborn son, Dan Mackenzie, who informed authorities that the children were being kept at their grandmother’s house instead of attending school.
Dan Mackenzie confirmed to journalists that he reported the matter because he believed the children should be in school rather than staying at home and participating in the controversial religious practices. He explained that five of the children belonged to his father, while the other three were believed to be children of close relatives.
This incident adds to the legal challenges facing Paul Nthenge Mackenzie, who is already embroiled in the Shakahola massacre case. Authorities have exhumed hundreds of bodies from shallow graves in Kilifi County linked to his leadership of the Good News International Church. Mackenzie faces charges of terrorism, radicalisation, murder, and manslaughter in Malindi and Mombasa courts, accused of forcing followers to abandon education and healthcare and orchestrating mass starvation.
