Shakahola witness claims Mackenzie ‘turned into a snake’ at homestead
Key points
- Protected witness LA testified at Shanzu Law Courts in the Shakahola-linked case.
- She alleged Pastor Paul Mackenzie’s head then body became a snake around 7:00 pm at her homestead.
- She claimed the snake bit her husband, identified as J.O.
- She said she moved from Voice of Salvation Church to Good News International Ministries and later to Shakahola seeking salvation under Mackenzie’s teachings.
Cult trials often sound stranger than fiction — and still must be tested under cross-examination. A protected witness identified as LA told the Shanzu Law Courts she saw Pastor Paul Mackenzie allegedly transform into a snake during a visit to her homestead, Eastleigh Voice reported.
LA told the Senior Principal Magistrate the incident happened about 7:00 pm. She alleged Mackenzie’s head changed into a snake’s, then the rest of his body, and that the snake bit her husband J.O. The claim came as she described her path as a follower: first Voice of Salvation Church, then Good News International Ministries under Mackenzie’s teachings, then a move to Shakahola after she became convinced those teachings were the path to salvation. The testimony sits inside a wider file of Shakahola and related Kwa Binzaro deaths, radicalisation probes and rare on-site court inspections already reported in the same case family.
Belief evidence is not the same as forensic proof
Courts must hear how followers experienced Mackenzie’s authority without treating every supernatural claim as either joke or gospel. The legal questions remain: coercion, manslaughter, starvation and who directed what at Shakahola.
Crime desk: Crime. Verified witness label, venue and allegation outline from Eastleigh Voice; testimony is contested in open court.
Witness protection must stay real after the cameras leave. Media should avoid amplifying trauma for clicks.
Judgment will rest on the full record, not one dramatic sentence about a snake.
Prosecutors and defence will both re-examine LA’s account under cross-examination, where memory, belief and forensic timelines will be tested line by line.
Official gazettes, court rulings and agency circulars may update these facts after publication; readers should verify any deadline, fee or court date against primary sources before acting.
Based on Eastleigh Voice court reporting of witness LA’s testimony. Allegations are unproven until judgment.
