Prison’s Boss Addresses Alleged Plot to Eliminate Pastor Mackenzie

The officer in charge of Shimo la Tewa Maximum Prison, Abdi Willy Adan, has addressed reports that controversial pastor Paul Mackenzie’s life was in danger, amidst claims there was a plot to poison him.
While appearing before Tononoka Children’s Court Principal Magistrate Nelly Chepchirchir, Adan dismissed the claims as unfounded, telling the court that all security measures at the facility are intact.
Mackenzie had told the court that suspicious substances had been planted in his prison cell to harm him, alleging that the end goal was to poison him.
The preacher claimed that he had found fragments of broken glass around where he eats, and a whitish substance around the neck of his water bottle, alleging an assassination attempt.
Mackenzie,who is facing numerous murder charges over his involvement in the Shakahola massacre, had alleged that when he returned to prison last Friday after attending a murder trial in Mombasa, he found his cell open and materials he believed to be poison deposited inside.
“Alongside the said poison, there were materials the accused later confirmed to be pieces of ground glass and powder, all strategically placed where he normally kept his food. He also found that the bottle of water he had been given in court had been tampered with, and there were remnants of a white substance around the neck of the bottle,” said his lawyer, Lawrence Obonyo.
However, in response to the claims, Adan told the court he was surprised by Mackenzie’s allegations of planted items, noting that prisoners are always frisked before leaving or re-entering the facility.
“The prison does not provide bottled water. I want to know how the accused ended up with such items,” he noted.
At the same time, he dismissed Mackenzie’s claim of being on a hunger strike, saying records show the last such protest was in February. According to him, Mackenzie, Mzee Smart Deri, and Steve wa Mtwapa, other key suspects in the case, continue to take meals.
Also, the officer recounted his routine patrols of the prison, including on Saturday, August 30, when he visited several blocks.
He noted that while Block B, housing Shakahola suspects, was not inspected that day, he did check Block F, which is under construction for terror-related convicts, and Block G, where Mackenzie is held.
During the visit, Adan said he met Mackenzie in his facilitywhere they exchanged greetings and later Mackenzie requested to be transferredto Manyani Prison, citing a desire for a change of environment.
The officer declined, explaining that because of the gravity of the charges, Mackenzie must remain in a maximum-security facility. He also noted that it would be costly for the government to transport the accused between Manyani and Mombasa for court hearings.