25/04/2023
This was Paul McKenzie Nthenge when his church,Good News International in Malindi flourished few years back. He wasn't the shaggy, confused person gracing the screens today. He started this church back in 2003 as a small evangelical centre alongside his wife Joyce Mwikamba.
They then moved to a village called Migingo in Malindi where he set up a church in a walled compound, where his family still lives todate. His wife Joyce helped in preaching as a co-pastor and McKenzie claimed to have power to speak to God DIRECTLY. In his sermons, he claimed to deliver words as given by God himself.
Around 2016, Mckenzie acquired a TV station after one of his followers Kennedy Mwacharo sold his property in Lamu at a throw away price of 20 Million and handed over all the money to him, abandoning his family and responsibilities. The property was valued over 100 Million back then. The man would die two months later in unclear circumstance.
Several cases of people selling their properties and giving McKenzie as they await to meet Jesus would then follow, the recent one being Betty, a air hostess who quit her 11 year job, left her husband and sold her lifelong investments at a throw away price of 7 million, heading with the money to McKenzie's Shakaola church.
Betty is suspected to be among the dead bodies being retrieved in graves in Shakahola.
It is claimed that McKenzie used the money that Kennedy Mwacharo gave him to buy pieces of land in Malindi and Mombasa , two vehicles and started the TV station. Through his TV station, Mckenzie reached so many people and his teachings were basically on end times, evilness of western ways of life like medical services, education, food, sports, music etc.
Mackenzie dwelt on the uselessness of life and stressed on the afterlife. He preached about the second coming of Christ which according to him was so soon - His timeline of the second coming was always less than a year . He also focused on the wrath that awaited those who woul