Shocking TV Moment: My Son Arrested with Paul Mackenzie
Ms. Lilian Kabarika closely followed the Shakahola death updates on the news as did the rest of the nation.
But the news on the evening of 2 May left her stunned and incredulous.
That evening, a video of her son leaving Malindi police station with pastor Paul Mackenzie and police officers in tow was broadcast on television.
Initially, she struggled with her thoughts, insisting that it was not her son. Until her son was once more presented in court.
“I ran out of my house while the news was still on to ask my sister if what I saw on the news was true or if I was hallucinating,” Ms. Kabarika explains.
Her sister learned of the news via radio.
“We still did not believe it was him. I asked his brother if he had seen the news, but he was unaware,” Ms. Kabarika explains.
The younger brother then conducted an online search.
“We saw a video of him with his mouth foaming. This convinced us that he was, in fact, my son.”
To obtain more information, she had to travel from Kakamega to Malindi, a city she had never visited.
She desired to comprehend how her son arrived there.
The trip to Malindi was difficult for Ms. Kabarika and her immediate family.
“We went to the hospital looking for my grandchildren, but were unsuccessful,” she says.
ALSO READ: CS Kindiki Grants Media and 3 Others Access to Shakahola Forest
Changed name
She requested to see her son, Baron Chaenza, at the Malindi police station, but when the police brought him out, they identified him as Collins.
“He had changed his name as well. What is his name? “His name is Baron,” the distraught mother reveals.
Ms. Kabarika recalls her son bidding her farewell before leaving for Mombasa, where his wife and children had already relocated.
“I pleaded with him to stay. Ms. Kabarika explains, “We have no relatives in the coastal region, but he insisted on going because his wife and children were already there.”
They had good communication until two weeks ago.
“Baron called me in tears. “I tried to find out what was wrong, but he refused to speak and continued to sob,” says Ms. Kabarika.
Now that their loved one is alive and in police custody, the family is torn between joy and sorrow.
“At this time, we do not know where my grandchildren and daughter-in-law are; Baron does not wish to disclose their location,” Ms. Kabarika explains.
The police have informed us that he faces a life sentence and that they suspect he killed his family and intended to commit suicide.
Hassan Musa, the Coastal Manager for the Kenya Red Cross, stated that 558 missing persons have been reported.
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Yesterday, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki, who was in Malindi to supervise the resumption of exhumations that were halted last week due to inclement weather, described the Shakahola murders as a highly organized crime.
“I fear we have a large number of graves,” Prof. Kindiki stated. “The damage is quite extensive. The process has only just begun.”
In addition, the CS revealed that detectives were zeroing in on Mackenzie’s accomplices.
The exhumation of approximately 21 bodies occurred yesterday.
The death toll currently stands at 133, with 112 autopsies performed.
The police believe that the majority of the bodies belong to Mackenzie’s followers, whom he allegedly ordered to starve themselves “to meet Jesus.”
While starvation appears to be the primary cause of death, according to government pathologist Johansen Oduor, some of the victims, including children, were strangled, beaten, or suffocated.
Shocking TV Moment: My Son Arrested with Paul Mackenzie
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