Rogue Pastor Makenzi in Law Court
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki has maintained that controversial former pastor Paul Makenzi and his accomplices will be jailed.
Mr Kindiki who launched the third phase of exhumation at the expansive 840 acre farm in Shakahola area in Malindi Sub County said that the crimes committed by Makenzi were too grave and that the evidence collected so far was enough to convict the alleged fasting to death cult leader.
He also launched the opening up of roads in the expansive farm that is now a crime scene to aid in the search and rescue mission adding that the operation area will extend to a further 37,000 acres where Makenzi is believed to have committed the crimes.
“Decision taken to open security roads within chakama ranch to create roads and Compartment so that after every 100 acres they are able to conduct through search,” he said, adding that at least 252 people lost lives in the farm.
The exercise is being undertaken by the Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) and government surveyors and the roads will divide the land into 100 acre blocks for ease of access.
At the same time Mr Kindiki pronounced that the Makenzi land will no longer be used by any human activity and that it will be acquired by the government to be used for commemoration purposes.
According to him, the land will be sanitized by religious leaders once the legal process is over so that Kenyans and the world will be remembering one of the most heinous human rights violations ever took place in Shakahola.
He said that all leadership in the country will converge in Shakahola to make a pronouncements in a commemoration service presided over by religious leaders to rescue the sacred virtue of religion that has been threatened by crooks and criminals hiding behind religion to commit crimes and pointed out that Makenzi was one of the crooks.
“Once the scene of crime is cleared, we will call for a national congregation of all religious faith in the Vicinity so that the true believers of every faith converge and stand in solidarity with the Departed families it Will be a commercial service,” he said, adding that Makenzi belonged to the category of crooks and criminals using religion to cause death.
Mr Kindiki said that Kenya will for the first time implement international criminal statutes due to the Makenzi case adding that the case will be of international standards.
“We have received the investigation report and we have a water tight case to charge Makenzi and his accomplices. We will have a chance to implement international statutes that we have never used before in our country,” he said, adding that some of the statutes include the international crime act of 2008, and the Rome Statute on International criminal court.
So far, Kindiki said that 19 of 95 rescued followers of Makenzi had been reunited with their families but were being kept in a secret house since they will be witnesses in court.
He also asked for patience from the families of missing persons since the DNA process was a long process.
“We assure the people of Kenya that the government has a case and it’s just a matter of time before Makenzi and his collaborators face us in court. This is a case like no other government and prosecution cannot afford to lose the case. The Case must be won,” he said.
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