Mombasa's High Court has dismissed the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions' application to reopen the case involving the murder of 191 children against Paul Mackenzie and 29 other suspects. The decision follows the prosecution's closure of its case, now seeking to recall Enos Amanya. The court stated that the request aims to fill gaps in the evidence.
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) has faced a significant setback as Mombasa's High Court rejected their application to reopen the case of 191 child murders against preacher Paul Mackenzie and 29 other suspects. This case relates to events in Shakahola Forest between 2021 and 2023.
On January 22, the prosecution filed the application to allow Mackenzie and his co-accused to question Enos Amanya regarding his confession recorded on January 16, 2026. Amanya, a 51-year-old former security head of the forest, changed his plea earlier this year and confessed to the 191 murder charges, detailing his role and that of others.
However, the court clarified that while it has authority to recall witnesses, this cannot be used to correct deficiencies or fill evidence gaps after voluntarily closing the case. The judge stated: “Considering that this application was filed as an attempt to correct a legal error for the benefit of the accused, it is indeed a strategy by the prosecution to fill gaps in its case through new interrogation of the suspect.”
Furthermore, the court noted that Amanya was not a prosecution witness in the main case, and his confession is not core evidence that could lead to convictions without independent proof. “Given this situation, this application lacks basis and merit,” the judge added.
The request came after the prosecution closed its case by presenting 119 witnesses to support the 191 charges. Mackenzie leads the Good News International Church, and the case involves radical doctrinal sermons and memory disks with controversial content.
