Paul Mackenzie and his co-accused follow proceedings in the Kwa Binzaro massacre case before the Mombasa High Court, October 27, 2026. /ODPP

Convicted preacher Paul Mackenzie allegedly continued spreading his doomsday teachings from prison using mobile phones and SIM cards registered in other people’s names, the Mombasa High Court has heard.

Prosecutors told the court that Mackenzie used mobile numbers registered to fellow convicts to communicate with his co-accused, allegedly instructing them to intensify doomsday teachings and encourage followers in Kwa Binzaro, Kilifi county, to fast, resulting in deaths.

The allegations emerged on Tuesday during the trial of Mackenzie and seven co-accused persons over the deaths of 28 people whose remains were exhumed from shallow graves in Kwa Binzaro.

The court heard that one of the SIM cards linked to the case was registered in the name of a prisoner serving a 50-year sentence at Shimo La Tewa Maximum Security Prison.

The prisoner, who is serving the sentence after pleading guilty to drug trafficking in 2024, admitted retaining SIM cards 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 portfolio and access mobile loans.

He said prison officers searched his cell on September 20, 2025, and recovered two Bibles containing handwritten papers bearing names and telephone contacts.

Officers later informed him that one of his SIM cards had been used to transfer money to Mackenzie, who is also held at the correctional facility.

A further search the following day led to the recovery of two SIM cards, which the prisoner said he had retained since his arrest in March 2024.

He denied using the cards in prison but disclosed that he had occasionally lent one to a fellow inmate who borrowed money from him to make telephone calls.

The inmate also borrowed mobile phone handsets from other prisoners, the court heard.

The testimony offered a glimpse into how unauthorised communication devices allegedly circulated among inmates despite prison regulations prohibiting the possession of mobile phones and SIM cards.

Prison officers told the court that a series of surprise searches had been conducted after intelligence reports indicated that inmates, including suspects in the Shakahola murder cases, were keeping prohibited items in their cells.

The searches resulted in the recovery of mobile phones, SIM cards, plastic containers, boxes, nails and ropes from different cells. An additional mobile phone was also recovered during the operation.

The court further heard that more searches conducted on August 30 and September 19, 2025, led to the recovery of mobile phones and SIM cards from inmates.

According to testimony by a prison officer, Directorate of Criminal Investigations officers searched Mackenzie's cell on September 20, 2025, and recovered a notebook, handwritten notes and a Bible.

The notebook reportedly 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 influencing followers and communicating with co-accused persons while in custody.

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 trial is continuing before Justice Wendy Kagendo.