A man from Siaya County has shared his agony of trying to rescue his three children from controversial preacher, Paul Mackenzie’s cult.
In an interview with Citizen Digital, Benson Mutimba noted that it was his firstborn son, Phelix Ndetta, who introduced his three siblings Ian Mukungu Mutimba, Brian Mutimba and Victor Malechi to the cult.
Ndetta had dropped out of Kibabii University where he was studying after being introduced to Mackenzie’s teaching in a crusade by Good News International Church.
By the time Mackenzie’s cult was exposed, Mutimba had lost one child with two others believed to be holed up in Mackenzie’s Shakahola death fields.
Here is the story as told by WoK.
Mutimba and his wife Esther Shirwasto Mukungu were not aware of Mackenzie until their firstborn son dropped out of Kibabii University.
Their eldest son, Phelix Ndetta, was enrolled in the university located in Bungoma County to pursue a degree in Bachelor of Science in Mathematics.
While in university, Ndetta attended a crusade organized by Mackenzie’s church, Good News International Church.
He was introduced to the preacher’s teachings that discouraged among others, going to school and getting medical attention.
After close concentration of Mackenzie’s teachings, it was not long before Ndetta deferred his studies and noted the year of re-admission as ‘never’.
According to The Star, he cited compassionate reason as the reason for deferment of his studies.
“Because without Huduma Number and NEMIS you won’t be registered in schools yet the unique personal identity number is 666 mark of the beast
“All these are due to new world order. So I’m avoiding that for God’s sake. Please if possible, I request to be deleted/ de-registered from unique personal identity (NEMIS),” Ndetta wrote in his letter of deferment.
After submitting his deferment letter, he disappeared for a month before he resurfaced with intentions of introducing his siblings to Mackenzie’s cult.
While at home, Mutimba explained that Ndetta burnt all his academic certificates among other important documents.
“Phelix came back and started talking about the devil and end times and convinced his siblings that education was devilish
“He said that he went to the Coast and met Machenzie who told them to burn their birth and academic certificates and follow him,” Mutimba said.
He noted that his son had been instructed to take his siblings and parents to Mackenzie.
“According to my son, Mackenzie told them that they will be rich even without education and that the gospel was enough. Mackenzie instructed Phelix to take with him his siblings and parents,” Mutimba added.
Unfortunately for Mutimba’s three sons, they were brainwashed by their elder brother and vowed that they would never go to school.
The following day, Ndetta is said to have left home with his siblings and never to return forcing Mutimba to file a missing person report at Mumias Police Station.
Officers from he Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) tracked Ndetta’s phone only to locate it in Malindi.
Mutimba was referred to a children’s officer in Malindi who, after further investigations, noted that his sons were at Mackenzie’s Shakahola land.
“I travelled to Malindi and we traced where Mackenzie’s church was but my four children ran away. Mackenzie claimed that they had run away because they feared the police who had accompanied me,” Mutimba said.
Later when he travelled back to Mumias, he talked with Mackenzie who advised him to sell all his properties and retreat to Shakahola.
“There is a time I spoke with Mackenzie on phone and he instructed me to sell my land, house and any property that I had to go and join them in Malindi for the world was coming to an end,” he noted.
A while later, Mutimba was allowed to pick up his younger sons after a back and forth with the preacher.
His sons, Ian Mukungu Mutimba, Brian Mutimba and Victor Malechi, returned home in December 2019 but they remained radicalized.
In a bid to save the situation, they were enrolled at Iruri Boarding School but later transferred over claims by other students that they would disappear at night.
They were recalled from the school and enrolled at different schools but Ian who studied at Ambira Secondary School refused to eat.
His condition deteriorated forcing Mutimba to look after him at home, but as fate would have it, he died on March 29, 2023 while receiving treatment at Siaya County Referral Hospital.
“I was so shocked when the doctor told me Ian had died. I cried so much. I prayed and told God if my son had died due to Mackenzie, may he take revenge for me
“When I called him, he told me that I led to the closure of his TV and that my son’s death was wrath from God. He said he would not tell my sons about their brother’s death, and I should travel myself to inform them,” he recalled.
Victor went missing on February 6, 2023, two weeks after reporting to Mbaga Mixed Primary School where he studied.
He is believed to have re-joined Ndetta back in Shakahola.
“Up to date, the boy is still missing,” the letter by Okoth Owino of Mbaga Primary School reads in part.
