Convicted preacher Paul Mackenzie allegedly continued spreading his doomsday teachings from prison using mobile phones and SIM cards registered in other inmates’ names, the Mombasa High Court has heard.
Prosecutors told the court that Mackenzie used the numbers to communicate with his co-accused, allegedly urging them to intensify the teachings and encourage followers in Kwa Binzaro, Kilifi County, to fast. The prosecution linked the alleged activities to deaths in the area.
The allegations emerged on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, during the trial of Mackenzie and seven co-accused persons over the deaths of 28 people whose remains were recovered from shallow graves in Kwa Binzaro.
Prison searches uncover phones and SIM cards
The court heard that one SIM card linked to the case was registered in the name of an inmate serving a 50-year sentence at Shimo La Tewa Maximum Security Prison.
The prisoner, who was sentenced after pleading guilty to drug trafficking in 2024, admitted retaining SIM cards while in custody but denied using them to make calls or conduct mobile money transactions.
He told the court that he had registered five mobile numbers in his name to build his credit profile and qualify for mobile loans.
According to his testimony, prison officers searched his cell on September 20, 2025, and recovered two Bibles containing handwritten papers with names and telephone numbers.
Officers later informed the prisoner that one of his SIM cards had allegedly been used to transfer money to Mackenzie, who is also being held in custody.
A further search the following day led to the recovery of two SIM cards. The prisoner said he had kept them since his arrest in March 2024.
He denied using the cards in prison but admitted occasionally lending one to another inmate who borrowed money from him to make telephone calls. The court also heard that the inmate borrowed mobile phone handsets from fellow prisoners.
Notebook linked to prosecution witness
Prison officers told the court that surprise searches had been conducted following intelligence reports that inmates, including suspects in the Shakahola cases, were keeping prohibited items in their cells.
The searches uncovered mobile phones, SIM cards and other items, including plastic containers, boxes, nails and ropes.
The court further heard that officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations searched Mackenzie’s cell on September 20, 2025. They reportedly recovered a notebook, handwritten notes and a Bible.
According to a prison officer’s testimony, the notebook contained telephone numbers and identification details recorded under the name of a prosecution witness who testified virtually from Kisumu.
The evidence forms part of the prosecution’s case that Mackenzie continued communicating with his co-accused and influencing followers despite being in custody.
Separate cases over alleged cult-related deaths
Mackenzie was recently convicted alongside 28 co-accused persons in connection with the Shakahola massacre, in which 191 people, including 190 children, died.
The Kwa Binzaro case concerns a separate set of deaths and is continuing before Justice Wendy Kagendo at the Mombasa High Court.
The latest testimony centres on whether prohibited communication devices were used to maintain contact between inmates and sustain the teachings under investigation.
The allegations remain part of the prosecution’s case in the ongoing trial.
