Agony of searching for kin in Shakahola forest

The five were reported to have been among the followers of pastor Paul Makenzi. They fasted to death with hopes of having a chance to meet Jesus Christ.

"The last time I talked to my wife and four children was on March 1 this year. My wife had called me to ask for food. I sent them some money to buy food and this gave me an opportunity to also talk to all my children who told me that they were fine and praying for me to join them at Shakahola. Little did I know that this was the last conversation with my family," narrated Mkala who works in Mombasa as a carpenter.

Mkala hails from Taita-Taveta County. "My wife and children persistently lured me to stop wasting time in Mombasa and instead join them at Shakahola in their pursuit to meet Jesus Christ. They also warned me to hurriedly join them as the world was soon coming to an end and I should join them to meet Jesus together as a family," he said yesterday.

Mkala noted that his wife and children were indoctrinated and radicalised and did not want to hear about education and medical treatment. "Now I have been left alone as my wife and children are all gone," he said

The tearful man said he had been looking for his wife and children for two weeks at the Malindi Hospital and the morgue in vain until one of his neighbours rescued by police at Shakahola told him that his family starved to death.

"The rescued neighbour identified as only Catharine admitted at the hospital told me that they were neighbours with my family at Shakahola farm. The survivor broke the sad news to me that my wife and four children starved to death and were buried at the farm," he recounted.

He disclosed that the rescued woman was his neighbour in Mombasa County before she joined the controversial church.

Mkala identified his wife as Patience Gofwa, 43. And his children were Constance Ngele 13, Tabitha Mjeni, eight, Johanna Mwakina, six and Faith Lukundo aged three years.

Meanwhile, Mr Maurice Ondang'a is a distraught man after unsuccessfully looking for his five family members despite numerous travels from Kisumu to Shakahola. He faulted the government for dragging its feet on the matter by the late deployment of the search and rescue teams.

Mr Ondang'a said he first reported the matter to the police in Kisumu in December last year when his children disappeared but it was until March this year that security agencies responded to the matter.

He said he never knew his children and brother had joined Makenzi until he saw his brother Wycliffe Omondi at the Malindi Sub-County Hospital after being rescued from the Shakahola farm.

"I first saw him on TV and in a newspaper while receiving treatment and I immediately notified the Kisumu DCI where I had reported the matter earlier. We set off to Malindi only to find my brother had escaped from the hospital bed," he said.

He said he and Rashid Makokha from Mwitoti village in Mumias have been pitching tents at the Kenya Red Cross Society desk. "It is very expensive since I have to pay for accommodation, fare and food for the time I am staying in Malindi. I spend Sh600 on a daily basis to pay for lodging services," he said.

He arrived in Malindi four days ago to look for his sister and her four children who went missing in February. Makokha said her sister was a follower of Makenzi at his Jogoo Road Good News International church.

Kenya Red Cross official Kathwar Mohamed said more than 400 people were still missing and are believed to be in the expansive Shakahola farm.