Suspect in Mackenzie Murder Case Dies in Custody

By Robby Ngoba

Email, thecoastnewspaper@gmail.com

One of the 30 suspects being held together with the Good News International Church leader Paul Mackenzie has died in custody.

The suspects are facing charges for the death of more than 450 people who who were influenced to fast in order to see Jesus.

The deceased, identified as Kevin Sudi Asena alias Shitemi Alfred died on Sunday at the Coast General Teaching and Referral hospital where he was admitted and undergoing treatment after refusing to take his medication while in prison.

Police statements indicate that the deceased had been battling various health conditions since his arrest forcing the prison authorities to take him to Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital for treatment on outpatient basis on May 10, 2026.

However, on May 14 his condition deteriorated after he refused to take his medication prescribed earlier by a doctor citing biblical scriptures including Luke 8:43-46, Jeremiah 17:5, Matthew 10:15-18, and Psalms 103:2-6 that justified his thinking on medical attention.

To help save his life, prison authorities took him back to the hospital where he was admitted. However, he died while undergoing treatment.

”We regret to report the death of an unconvicted prisoner Kevin Sudi Asena which occured today at the Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital where he was admitted and undergoing treatment,” read part of the police report.

His family have been given 21 days to report to the station for identification of the body and autopsy failure to the postmortem will be done and the body disposed off by the state .

The deceased, who is from Kisenya village in Vihiga county, had been in police custody for more than three years after his arrest on June 14, 2023.

He was facing multiple charges including murder, manslaughter, child torture, radicalisation, facilitation of terrorism acts, and engaging in organised criminal activity.

Investigations indicate that Kelvin was a former mechanic who left his job in Vihiga and travelled to Malindi after listening to pastor Mackenzi’s endtime sermon on television.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations detectives stated that the deceased was one of Mackenzie’s right hand man who oversaw activities even while in custody.

He was accused of helping starve dozens of worshipers, including his wife and children, in the Shakahola Forest massacre.

Along with other arrested suspects armed with clubs and machetes he allegedly ensured that no follower broke the fast or escaped from the forest.

Police also believe that Kelvin wrote a letter authorised by Mackenzie instructing his followers to fast to death while in custody.

Further investigations state that the deceased might have also played a key role in the recent Kwa Binzaro cult deaths that claimed lives of more than 50 people including children.

Asena OMbajo, father of the deceased, says they are experiencing financial hardships which hinders them from traveling to Mombasa to take their son’s body for burial.

He says the deceased’s five children perished in the shakahola massacre after he pulled them out of school and travelled to Shakahola.

”He had five children, but it seems like they perished in the forest. Since his arrest, we have never heard from the police on their (children) whereabouts,” he said.

Ombajo says he began to see the excesses of the cult church when Kevin urged them to pull their children out of school following Pastor Mackenzie’s sermons that the Bible did not endorse schooling.