Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki has asserted that the government would not allow criminals to use the constitutional provision of freedom of worship to commit crimes in the country.
He directed that going forward, every preacher would be required to adhere to the holy scriptures, the Constitution of Kenya, and existing laws for them to be allowed to operate. This comes as a means to combat radicalization and terrorist activities committed under the guise of religion.
“ We will not allow cruel people, terrorists, and criminals to use religion and the excuse that our constitution allows freedom of worship to hit us and bring disaster such as we are witnessing in Shakahola,” Kindiki uttered.
He was addressing the residents of Shakahola village at the Shakahola Vocational Training Centre (VTC) in the Chakama location of Malindi Sub County after touring the forest in which the bodies of victims of a cult are currently being exhumed.
Prof Kindiki described embattled pastor Paul Mackenzie, who is accused of brainwashing his followers into fasting to death to meet Jesus Christ, as an international criminal.
Vowing that the preacher would never leave prison, the CS promised that the government would pursue all legal avenue to ensure the controversial preacher does not leave prison again.
Nonetheless, Kindiki faulted the judiciary for treating Mackenzie’s matter as trivial noting that the accused had committed more atrocities prior to his release on a Sh10,000 bond one month ago.
By Tuesday, a total of 17 bodies were retrieved from shallow graves, some of them still fresh, bringing the number of bodies exhumed since the exercise began one week ago to 90.
Three persons were rescued from the scene and rushed to the Malindi Sub County Hospital on Tuesday.
The CS at the same time declared the entire 800-acre piece of land belonging to Mackenzie as a security operation zone and barred civilians from accessing or staying on the land without authority effective 6.00 pm Tuesday.
“I’ve today issued a gazette notice declaring the 800 acres a disturbed area. Nobody is allowed to access it without the authority of the police,” he said.
Magarini Member of Parliament Harrison Kombe urged the government to do everything to ensure Mackenzie does not set foot in the area.
Kilifi Deputy Governor Flora Chibule called on well-wishers to donate mobile mortuaries to help preserve the bodies being exhumed as the morgues in Kilifi and Malindi could no longer contain them.
She condemned the preacher for deceiving his followers and urged Wananchi to be careful not to fall prey to unscrupulous people parading themselves as men of God.