Eight children aged between six and 14 years have been rescued from the residence of Anastasia Mwele, mother of preacher Paul Mackenzie in Furunzi, Malindi over fears that they were not being cared for.

Ms. Mwele, the kids’ grandmother, was arrested by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) officers at her residence on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, as they rescued the children from the homestead.

Detectives allege that the kids were made to fast, they did not attend school and were being taught doctrines by Ms. Mwele that were linked to those preached by her son, Paul Mackenzie. The senior DCI investigator said they received intelligence of the children’s condition and decided to rescue them.

“We had received information that their grandmother has been hosting the kids and she was withholding food from them, which prompted us to rescue them,” said the investigator.

The grandmother faces allegations that were not tested in court.

The rescued children were taken to Malindi Police Station, where police officers from the Child Protection Unit were expected to care for them and arrange for their transportation to a secure location. Five out of the eight rescued children are said to be Mackenzie’s offspring.

It was Dan Mwele, Mackenzie’s eldest son, who reported the case to the police after he learned that his siblings and cousins had been fasting for an extended period and were not attending school.

“I took it upon myself to go and report the case to the police because their situation was not desirable, although they were given food before the police arrived,” said Dan Mwele in an interview with Nation.

In addition to saying the children were fasting, Dan accused Ms. Mwele of teaching them religious doctrines through the practice. Like the allegations levelled by Dan, the ones brought against the grandmother by the detectives will also need to be proven in court.

The DCI stated that Ms. Mwele would remain in custody for the foreseeable future until a date for her arraignment is set and that they intended to level child cruelty, torture, and denying children their right to education charges against her. These are all serious allegations, and at this stage, Mwele is innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Ms. Mwele is accused of denying the eight children their right to food, violating the right to education and causing them physical and mental anguish. However, her guilt or innocence must be proven in a court of law. Despite the gravity of these allegations, they could not automatically be considered proven.

The spotlight will be on Ms. Mwele, who is accused of withholding food and denying the children a formal education. She has been accused of obstructing justice by interfering with the investigations, and the Children’s Act will apply in this matter.

The DCI will soon investigate to determine whether the grandmother’s actions do constitute crimes and, if so, what punishment would be appropriate. They will also look into the conditions under which these children were living at the homestead.