Shakahola Aftermath: Coast Clergy Get Theological Training to Root Out Cultism

The wounds left by the Shakahola tragedy have not healed easily for Kenya. More than 450 bodies were recovered from Paul Mackenzie's forest in Kilifi County, a grim reminder of what happens when congregants follow unaccountable, untrained preachers without question. Now, religious leaders across the Coast region are taking a deliberate step forward — sitting in classrooms, opening their Bibles in a structured academic setting, and learning what it truly means to shepherd a flock responsibly.

At the centre of this effort is the CBEM–Africa Bible Institute, an institution founded in 2021 with a clear mandate: produce clergy who are biblically literate, ethically grounded, and practically equipped for ministry. Bishop Frederick Kazungu Masha, the institute's principal, has described the programme as a direct response to the culture of unchecked religious authority that allowed tragedies like Shakahola to unfold. "We want to raise a new generation of well-trained and accountable church leaders," he has said — leaders capable of guiding believers without manipulating or endangering them.

The institute recently celebrated a significant milestone, graduating its first cohort of 27 students who now hold theology diplomas. For many of these graduates, the training fills a gap that has long existed in Coast region churches, where some pastors and bishops have led congregations for years without any formal theological education. Bishop Kazungu argues that proper training gives clergy the tools to detect dangerous doctrine early — to recognise when teachings stray from sound biblical principles and veer toward the kind of exploitative theology that Paul Mackenzie weaponised against his followers.

The training initiative does not stand alone. It operates alongside broader government moves to professionalise religious leadership in Kenya — a push that gained urgency after the Shakahola discovery shocked the nation in 2023. Authorities have since renewed calls for minimum education standards for preachers, and programmes like the one at CBEM–Africa Bible Institute are increasingly seen as part of the solution rather than a voluntary extra.

International partnership is also strengthening the effort. Dr. Scott Dalton, president of Mission Global Institute, confirmed that his organisation works alongside churches in more than 18 countries to deliver theological education that is both accessible and sensitive to local contexts. For Coast Kenya, where Christianity intersects with diverse cultural and community dynamics, that localised approach matters. The goal is not to import a one-size-fits-all curriculum but to build leaders who understand their own communities deeply enough to protect them. If the Shakahola tragedy taught Kenya anything, it is that sound teaching and accountable leadership are not luxuries — they are matters of life and death.