The Interior and National Administration Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki has warned that the government is determined to deal with rogue religious leaders and criminal elements hiding behind religion with or without the support of religious institutions.
Speaking yesterday during a thanksgiving service at Victory Revival church in Tharaka Nithi county, Kindiki warned that there is no room for crooked religious teachers who use religion as bait to hurt unsuspecting Kenyans.
“The government will fiercely fight with anyone who is hiding behind religion to hurt Kenyans. All those people hiding in churches to steal and hurt people using the bible we will chase them the same way we did with bandits until we make sure that Kenyans get justice.” The CS affirmed.
The said confessed that the government is not aware of death toll in Shakahola Forest where over 235 dead bodies have been recoeverd so far in Kilifi county associated to religious radicalisation by controversial televangelist Paul Nthenge Mackenzie of the Good News International Church.
Kindiki also said those culpable including public and security officers through act of commission or omission in Shakahola massacre will be held accountable.
The CS added that more people are still being rescued.
This lies on the backdrop of a directive given by President William Ruto to institute a 17-member task force to review legal and regulatory frameworks governing religious organizations in Kenya.
In a gazette notice dated May 5, President Ruto announced that Reverend Mutava Musyimi will chair the committee which will be operational for the next six months.
The latter was prompted after the unsettling Shakahola starvation cult came to light, which led to the discovery of 253 bodies as of Sunday.
The search for survivors and bodies of those who died in the starvation cult, according to CS Kindiki, will extend to neighbouring Tsavo East National Park as autopsies on the recovered bodies begin.
Last week, the government suspended the second phase of bodies exhumation to pave way for postmortem of the 123 bodies recovered.
So far, the death toll stands at 235.