Mombasa High Court: Paul Mackenzie Kwa Binzaro SIM Card Evidence Presented

• A Safaricom SIM card registered to a Shimo La Tewa prisoner was allegedly linked to Paul Mackenzie's phone during the Kwa Binzaro massacre trial.
• Inmate Kalume Kitsao Rimba, serving a 50-year sentence for drug trafficking, admitted to retaining SIM cards but denied using them or associating with Mackenzie.
• Prison officers recovered Bibles with contacts and SIM cards from Rimba's cell, and he was informed one SIM transferred money to Mackenzie.
• The prosecution alleges Mackenzie used others' SIMs to instruct co-accused on doomsday preaching and fasting, leading to deaths in Kwa Binzaro.
• Prison searches, prompted by intelligence, recovered multiple unauthorized mobile phones and SIM cards from inmates, including from Mackenzie's cell.

The ongoing hearing before the Mombasa High Court continues to process this complex web of digital and physical evidence, emphasizing the critical role of forensic analysis in modern criminal investigations, even when originating from unexpected sources like inmate-registered SIM cards.

During ongoing proceedings at the Mombasa High Court, a Safaricom SIM card registered to an inmate at Shimo La Tewa Maximum Security Prison was presented as evidence, allegedly linking to a mobile phone used by controversial preacher Paul Mackenzie. Kalume Kitsao Rimba, 41, who is currently serving a 50-year sentence for drug trafficking after pleading guilty in 2024, testified before Justice Wendy Kagendo. Rimba acknowledged possessing SIM cards while incarcerated but denied using them for calls or mobile money transactions. He also disavowed any direct connection to Mackenzie, stating his knowledge of the preacher came solely from media reports concerning the Shakahola deaths.

Rimba, whose testimony was led by Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Frankline Sirima, explained that he had legitimately registered five Safaricom numbers to enhance his M-Shwari profile and secure mobile loans prior to his imprisonment. He recounted that prison officers conducted a search of his cell on September 20, 2025, during which they discovered two Bibles containing handwritten notes with names and telephone contacts. Subsequently, he was informed by officers that one of his registered SIM cards had been utilized to transfer funds to Mackenzie, who is also detained at Shimo La Tewa. A further search the following day yielded two additional SIM cards, which Rimba claimed he had retained since his arrest in March 2024. While denying personal use of these cards while in prison, Rimba admitted to occasionally lending one to a fellow inmate, Charles Kalume, who would borrow it to make calls after securing money from him. Kalume reportedly also obtained mobile phone handsets from other prisoners.

The introduction of this SIM card evidence forms a crucial part of the prosecution's case against Paul Mackenzie and his seven co-accused in the Kwa Binzaro massacre trial. The court heard that 28 human remains were exhumed from shallow graves in Kilifi County, central to the charges. Prosecutors contend that Mackenzie deliberately employed mobile numbers registered under other individuals' names to communicate with his co-accused. These communications, according to the prosecution, allegedly contained directives to intensify doomsday preaching and to encourage followers in Kwa Binzaro to engage in fasting, which ultimately led to fatalities.

These severe allegations underscore the gravity of the ongoing murder trial. Mackenzie recently faced conviction alongside 28 co-accused in a separate case related to the Shakahola massacre, an incident that resulted in the deaths of 191 individuals, including 190 children. Further evidence presented included details from a search of Mackenzie's own cell on September 20, 2025, conducted by Directorate of Criminal Investigations officers. This search uncovered a notebook, various handwritten notes, and a Bible. The notebook notably contained telephone numbers and identification particulars recorded under the name of Emily Achieng, a prosecution witness who provided her testimony virtually from Kisumu.

The presence of unauthorized mobile phones and SIM cards within correctional facilities is strictly prohibited under existing prison regulations, a point highlighted by the evidence presented. Testimony from prison officers James Mnjala and Sergeant Stanislous Bongo Chikuta shed light on the efforts to enforce these rules. Mnjala informed the court that surprise searches were initiated, targeting inmates, particularly those suspected in the Shakahola murder cases, following intelligence reports indicating the presence of prohibited items in prison cells. These operations led to the recovery of various contraband, including plastic containers, boxes, nails, a mobile phone, and ropes from different cells, with another officer separately finding an Itel handset.

Sergeant Chikuta, who appeared as the 50th prosecution witness, corroborated these accounts, detailing impromptu searches conducted on August 30 and September 19, 2025, which also resulted in the confiscation of mobile phones and SIM cards from inmates. Chikuta further testified to witnessing DCI officers search Mackenzie's cell on September 20, 2025, confirming the recovery of the notebook, handwritten notes, and a Bible. The ongoing hearing before the Mombasa High Court continues to process this complex web of digital and physical evidence, emphasizing the critical role of forensic analysis in modern criminal investigations, even when originating from unexpected sources like inmate-registered SIM cards.

Defense counsel in criminal cases should be prepared for prosecution strategies leveraging digital forensic evidence, even from indirect sources like inmate-registered SIM cards. Compliance officers in correctional facilities must reinforce protocols for preventing and detecting unauthorized mobile devices to avoid compromising investigations or trials.

Source: Original reporting via Kenyan news sources