In a chilling courtroom confession, Enos Amanya, the head of security for the deadly Shakahola cult, has pleaded guilty to manslaughter, offering gruesome new details of the starvation and torture that claimed hundreds of lives.

Amanya, who also served as the cult's primary gravedigger, entered a plea bargain with the prosecution. His harrowing testimony before the High Court in Mombasa has laid bare the calculated cruelty orchestrated by self-proclaimed pastor Paul Mackenzie.

The Shakahola massacre remains one of the darkest chapters in modern East African history. This confession not only provides long-awaited answers for the grieving families but also intensifies the urgent demand for stringent state regulation of rogue religious organizations operating unchecked across the region.

The Anatomy of a Massacre

Appearing before Chief Magistrate Alex Ithuku, Amanya detailed the horrific reality within the Good News International church camp deep in the Kilifi County forest. The court heard how followers were systematically coerced into starving themselves to "meet Jesus." Amanya pleaded guilty to the deaths of 191 children, shedding light on the tragic fate of the most vulnerable victims.

His confession dismantled the narrative of pure religious martyrdom, exposing a regime built on fraud, coercion, and extreme violence. While devotees perished from malnutrition, Amanya revealed that Mackenzie's inner circle, including his wife Rhoda Mumbua, were well-fed. "I wish to state that around 700 people died during fasting in Shakahola," Amanya testified, a figure that significantly exceeds the official exhumation count of 429 bodies.

The Mechanics of Enforcement

The testimony highlighted the militant structure of the cult. Amanya's role as head of security was pivotal in ensuring that wavering followers could not escape the deadly fasting edict.

• Armed enforcers patrolled the forest perimeter to prevent starvation victims from fleeing to safety.
• Dissidents and those who attempted to break the fast were subjected to severe beatings and strangulation.
• Victims were buried in mass shallow graves to conceal the sheer scale of the atrocity from authorities.

The horrifying efficiency of Mackenzie's operation has raised profound questions about local intelligence and law enforcement failures, given that the extremist preacher had a history of radicalization charges dating back to 2017.

A Nation's Reckoning

The government is currently grappling with the fallout, pushing for tighter legislative control over fringe denominations in a country boasting over 4,000 registered churches. The delicate balance between freedom of worship and the protection of human life is under intense national scrutiny.

As Mackenzie and his 94 co-accused await mental health assessments and further trials on terrorism and murder charges, Amanya's confession serves as a vital piece of the prosecutorial puzzle. "After serious reflection, I lamented my actions which led to the loss of my money and six of my children to his false teachings," Amanya confessed, a tragic epitaph for a community deceived unto death.