NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 28 – The Government has transferred senior security officials from Kilifi in the wake of the discovery of dozens of bodies buried in Shakahola forest that has been linked to controversial televangelist Paul Mackenzie of the Good News International Church.
The cult leader Mackenzie has been accused of driving his followers to death by preaching that starvation was the only path to God with the numbers currently standing at 109 after exhumation was suspended Friday due to heavy rains.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki made the announcement Friday during his second visit to Shakahola located in coastal town of Malindi that the changes will affect top agents from all departments ranging from the Kenya Police Service, Administration Police Service, Directorate of Criminal Investigations and the national Intelligence Service.
The new changes take effect today (Friday) even as authorities intensify the efforts to rescue the surviving followers of starvation cult lead by controversial televangelist Paul Mackenzie.
“The Government has decided that effective today we will transfer all station, division, sub-county and county heads and commanders of all agencies within Kilifi County effective today (Friday),” Kindiki said.
“We will replace them with colleagues from elsewhere so that we can show the public that what we are doing is for the good of the country and sake of justice.”
The Interior CS however explained that they are not implicating anybody on the failure to detect the criminal activities by the preacher “but we are saying if you are the OCS, the commander or the person who ought to have either received a report or you may have received the report and failed to act then you cannot be part of the team that is conducting the investigation,” he said.
He added that it is the policy of the government that all those who are in command position at all levels must be deployed elsewhere and allow their colleagues from other stations to come and help us push the investigations forward.
The Interior CS noted that the new team will co-ordinate with their counterparts from Nairobi to ensure they get to the bottom of the activities of pastor Mackenzie.
He added that the Government has also upscaled the level and seniority of operation commander in the ongoing search and recuse and exhumation exercise.
Kindiki further announced that the DCI Director Mohamed Amin had also upscaled the level of leadership on the mass grave site which sits on an 800-acre of land associated with Pastor Mackenzie.
“Therefore, the investigations are going to be conducted by new leaders of higher rank from Nairobi effective tonight,” he said.
The new changes will be announced by the Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome.
The Interior CS stated that they will leave no stone unturned in their quest to bring to book all those accountable for the deaths that has shocked the nation.
He warned that all unscrupulous religious leaders who have been misleading Kenyans in the name of religion will be dealt with harshly.
“All the criminals out there, manipulating the people of Kenya, exposing them to degrading and inhuman treatment using scriptures, your time is up. We are coming for you and we will get hold of you,” he warned.
