CS Kindiki Condemns Shakahola Massacre, Calls For Tougher Worship Regulations
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki has called for stricter regulations on religious centers. The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) uncovers more troubling information about the Good News International Church cult in Malindi, Kilifi County.
He stated this while condemning the Shakahola Forest Massacre, which resulted in the discovery of at least 39 bodies on the 800-acre plot.
“The unfolding Shakahola Forest Massacre is the most egregious violation of the constitutionally protected freedom of religion. “It appears that violations of Kenyan and international law on a massive scale have occurred,” he said in a statement on Sunday.
“While the State remains respectful of religious freedom, this heinous stain on our conscience must lead not only to the most severe punishment of the perpetrator(s) of the atrocity against so many innocent souls, but also to stricter regulation (including self-regulation) of every church, mosque, temple, and synagogue in the future.”
ALSO READ: 18 Bodies Exhumed in Kilifi Cult Investigation
Ahead of his Tuesday visit, the Interior CS also ordered an augmentation of police forces in the Shakahola region to assist with the ongoing investigation.
Handful of members of the cult-like religion were rescued by officers from the Malindi police station. Family members of other missing victims gathered at the police station in the hopes of locating their loved ones.
The primary suspect is the church’s preacher, Paul Mackenzie Nthenge, who allegedly tricked worshipers into fasting “so that they can see God,” a ritual that resulted in the deaths of many worshipers.
Nthenge is no stranger to controversy; last month he was arrested for causing the starvation deaths of two children.
Justice Olga Onalo of the Malindi High Court granted the pastor bail. In the amount of Ksh 10,000 pending an investigation.
However, he has yet to face charges. Because the government pathologist and DCI agents have yet to exhume all the bodies.
CS Kindiki Condemns Shakahola Massacre, Calls For Tougher Worship Regulations
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