- Skeletons of three bodies found in Shakahola forest.
- Senate Ad Hoc committee visits Galilee, Jerusalem and Bethlehem
- Committee tasked to unmask Shakahola deaths in 90 days.
The Senate Ad Hoc Committee tasked to probe Shakahola deaths on Saturday toured the site where at least 238 bodies of alleged starvation cult victims were exhumed.
Speaking to journalists after the site visit, the Committee’s chairperson Danson Mungatana recounted the horrific scenes they saw at the vast shakahola forest citing the killings allegedly executed by the ill-famed pastor Paul Mackenzi as a genocide.
Amid the forest day trip, the senate committee made appearance to Mackenzi’s proclaimed home of Galilee and Jerusalem from where he allegedly radicalized his followers to thirst for their deaths to meet their creator through starvation.
“We have been able to visit Galilea, a place where Mackenzi had his house and where punishment and judgment was instituted”, He said.
The site where a mass grave in which 67 bodies were exhumed had been named Bethlehem by the rogue pastor Mackenzi.
In what Mungatana characterized as the worst tragedy ever witnessed in the country, the senate vowed to unravel the details that led to the horrendous killings of innocent people.
The senate committed to visit all the church branches of the Good Life International revealed to have been opened by Makenzi in other parts of the country.
According to Mungatana, during the tour, the security team conducting rescue of the religious cult victims found three skeleton bodies in the forest.
“More people are being found, we cannot allow our people to continue dying and other makenzi-like people to continue operating in our country”, He said.
The committee is yet to reveal the information gathered after they met different religious leaders and NGOs as they purpose to bridge the difference between worship freedom and radical teachings that infringe the safety of the public.
“We urge the public to be patient and give us some time to do the findings as we are going to engage all the stakeholders to collect information without leaving anyone behind”, Mungatana said.
The purpose of the taskforce is to come up with a legal framework that will guide religious organizations’ operations in the country.
“We are not a judicial commission or a court and therefore after investigating and gathering all the information we will inform the public on how religious bodies will operate in this country”, Mungatana said.
“Having been informed about other forces behind this mysterious cult, we commit to dig deep into the roots in order to unearth the truth. We will not allow things to move on as they are after more than 235 people lost their lives in this massacre”, he insisted.
According to the committee, there is need to add more personnel to aid in search and rescue of the religious cult victims who are still herded the area.
The public has been urged to provide any information that will aid in the investigations without fearing.
In company of the Tana River Senator were Nominated Senator Shakila Abdalla, Migori Senator Eddy Oketch, Nominated Senator Tabitha, Mombasa senator Faki Mohamed, Baringo senator William Cheptumo, Nominated senator Veronica Maina, Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka, Nominated Senator Hamida Kibwana and the committee’s Vice chair.
IAN BYRON