Mackenzie's Son Admits Relief Over Father's Shakahola Conviction as He Claims 'I've Been a Victim Too'

Dan Mackenzie, the 27-year-old eldest son of the doomsday preacher Paul Nthenge Mackenzie, has broken his silence outside the court, offering a harrowing glimpse into the domestic violence and systemic indoctrination that defined his childhood.

Far from grieving his father's conviction, Dan described the High Court ruling by Lady Justice Diana Kavedza Mochache as a monumental moment of justice and a profound personal release.

For Dan, who rejected his father’s lethal doctrines years before hundreds of devotees trekked into Kilifi County’s Shakahola forest, the verdict represents long-overdue closure for both his family and the hundreds of devastated households across Kenya.

Reflecting on the High Court’s historic decision finding his father individually and collectively guilty of murdering 190 children and one adult, Dan expressed a calm sense of closure.

Having experienced firsthand the brutal enforcement mechanisms of his father’s ministry long before the mass deaths came to light, Dan emphasised that the ruling brings systemic accountability to a reign of terror.

Speaking candidly about his emotional state following the court's judgment, Dan Mackenzie stated: “I’m not sad. I'm okay, relaxed. It's a bit of relief to us and to the victims. Justice has happened to them. I've been a victim too of what he was doing over there in Shakahola.

“That's why I didn't end up in Shakahola, because I was tired of it. I was forced when I was young, when I was 12, forced for a whole week, beaten by those church members for like almost three hours, just to attend a church service.”

Dan’s decision to sever ties with his father was forged through childhood trauma and resistance. At just 12 years old, after enduring a week of enforced fasting and relentless physical abuse by church enforcers for refusing to attend services, Dan actively rebelled against his father’s teachings.

Recognising his son's defiance, Paul Mackenzie abandoned the boy entirely, leaving him to navigate survival on his own on the streets of the coastal town of Malindi.

Forced to abandon his formal education early in life, Dan turned to operating a motorcycle taxi to make ends meet. Explaining his journey from a coerced child follower to an independent young adult, Dan recalled: “No, I didn't [run away]. He just gave up on me and said, I'm on my own. So I ended up doing Boda Boda in Malindi. Yes, I was rebellious. I was beaten for almost three hours just to attend a church service. I didn't go to any school. I just started doing Boda Boda. I only ended up in Class 7.”

Despite carrying the weight of an infamous surname, Dan has consistently aligned himself with the victims of the tragedy. More than 400 bodies were exhumed from shallow mass graves in Shakahola forest after local pastoralists alerted police in March 2023.

As families across Kenya mourn relatives lost to the starvation pact, Dan extended his heartfelt condolences to those grieving loved ones.

Expressing solidarity with the families torn apart by his father's radical doctrines, Dan said: “May their souls rest in peace, those who lost their families in Shakahola. It's sad what we went through over there. I hope this has relieved them.”

Dan's break from his father took decisive action to save the rest of his family. Prior to his father's arrest, Dan reported concerns to law enforcement after realising that young children staying at his grandmother’s residence were being subjected to enforced starvation routines.

Police subsequently raided the premises and extracted eight minors, including five of Dan's own younger siblings, placing them under government protective custody.

Following the conviction on October 19, Dan revealed that he had a brief exchange with his father, during which the cult leader accused him of betrayal. Addressing his father's claims and looking ahead to the future of his rescued siblings, Dan remarked: “I would tell him [my father] that he told me I betrayed him. I don't know from what. I didn't know what was happening there until he was arrested and we were given court sessions. Now the little ones, the five of them, have been rescued. Right now they are at the rescue centre. I hope they will have a good life.”

Today, the 27-year-old continues bearing the financial and emotional responsibility of supporting his extended family. While operating in coastal communities where the trauma of Shakahola runs deep, Dan has faced a complex reception from locals.

Initial resentment over his lineage has largely given way to respect and community support as residents recognised his courageous role in exposing the cult's abuses and rescuing his young siblings.