The mother of controversial preacher Paul Nthenge Mackenzie has been arrested after detectives rescued eight children from her home in Malindi, Kilifi County.
Anastasia Mumwele Mackenzie was arrested on Wednesday, October 7, after officers raided her residence in Furunzi, where the children, aged between six and 14, were allegedly being kept out of school and subjected to religious fasting.
Read Also
According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), five of the children are believed to be Mackenzie’s, while the remaining three are reportedly children of close relatives.
The children were taken to Malindi Police Station following the operation as authorities began investigating their circumstances.
Mackenzie’s son raises alarm.
The operation followed a report by Mackenzie’s firstborn son, Dan Mackenzie, who raised concerns after discovering that his younger siblings and cousins were allegedly not attending school.
Dan told journalists that the children were still following religious teachings associated with the controversial preacher, including fasting as a way of attaining heaven.
He said he reported the matter because he feared for their welfare.
A senior detective told the media that officers acted after receiving information that the children had been denied food and kept away from school.
Authorities said the grandmother would face possible charges relating to child cruelty, torture and denying children their right to education. The allegations are subject to investigation.
Shakahola tragedy casts a long shadow.
The arrest has revived painful memories of the Shakahola tragedy, in which hundreds of people died in circumstances linked to Mackenzie’s Good News International Church.
Mackenzie was arrested in April 2023 after authorities began investigating reports of deaths and mass graves in Shakahola Forest, near Malindi.
Prosecutors have accused him of radicalizing followers through teachings that allegedly encouraged extreme fasting and the abandonment of essential services, including education and healthcare.
He faces multiple criminal cases linked to deaths in Shakahola and Kwa Binzaro, while denying the allegations against him.
The latest incident has raised fresh concerns about whether teachings associated with the preacher continue to influence members of his extended family.
Authorities are expected to establish the children’s living conditions and determine what action should follow the grandmother’s arrest.
