The government had no intelligence information on the happenings at Shakahola forest, which hosted mass graves for hundreds of bodies believed to belong to members of Pastor Paul Mackenzie’s cult.
So far, a total of 350 bodies have been recovered from the land as more are expected to be discovered after 40 graves were identified.
Appearing before the Senate Ad Hoc committee on Tuesday, Interior Cabinet Secretary (CS) Kithure Kindiki stated that ever since Mackenzie was arrested in 2017, he has been on the government’s radar but how the burial site slipped the intelligence service’s eye has remained a puzzle.
Kindiki noted that they are now seeking to unravel the missing piece of the puzzle by carefully interrogating the matter.
“It is intelligence that led to these arrests but on the final matter around the forest, there was no intelligence. We are closing in in the process of establishing why there was no intelligence especially the very delicate parts where our people started being killed,” he said.
Kindiki further questioned why Mackenzie was released despite frequent court appearances on accusations surrounding his church Good News International.
“In my view, I don’t see the basis why in the first instance, where a fellow was indoctrinating children entered into a plea bargain simply because we can’t as the prosecution question and then they set him free to cause more harm to society,” he said.
In October 2017, police officers raided the Good News International church and rescued about 93 children, leading to the arrest of Pastor Mackenzie and some church members.
He was later taken to court and charged with promoting radicalization and teaching children in an unregistered school at his church.
Later in 2018, angry residents at Bungale in Magarini, Kilifi County demolished one of Pastor Makenzie’s churches on claims of indoctrinating locals with false Christian teachings.
Locals also razed down the home of a Pastor who worked for Pastor Makenzie at Good News International church in Majengo ya Wakala village for allegedly promoting extremism.
In April 2019, he was accused of possession and distribution of films to the public without a valid license from the Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB).
He was also charged with operating a filming studio without a valid license from the KFCB.
Mackenzie denied the charges and was released on a cash bail of Ksh.500,000.
It was until concerns were raised in 2023 after two children died under their parent’s care, after Mackenzie instructed members of his church to starve themselves to “meet Jesus”.
On April 15, police arrested him after discovering the bodies of four followers who allegedly starved themselves to “meet Jesus” at his behest.
Mackenzie has since been in police custody.
