Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki has said that the government would not allow criminals to use the constitutional provision of freedom of worship to commit crimes in the country.
He said henceforth, every preacher will be required to adhere to the Holy Scriptures, the Constitution of Kenya 2010 and existing laws for them to be allowed to operate in an effort to fight radicalization and terrorist activities committed in the name of religion.
“We will not allow cruel people and 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 said.
He was addressing the residents of Shakahola village at the Shakahola Vocational Training Centre (VTC) in Chakama location of Malindi Sub County after touring the forest in which the bodies of victims of a cult are being exhumed.
Prof Kindiki described embattled pastor Paul Makenzi, who is accused of brainwashing his followers to fast to death in order to meet Jesus Christ, as an international criminal and vowed that the preacher would never leave prison.
The CS said the government would use legal means to ensure the controversial preacher does not leave prison again.
He however faulted the judiciary for treating Mackenzie’s matter as trivial noting that Mackenzie committed more atrocities when he was released 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.
By Emmanuel Masha
