President William Ruto Monday broke his silence over the Kilifi cultism and termed it terrorism
He said he had instructed security agencies to get to the root of the matter and take necessary action.
“What we are seeing in Shakahola, Kilifi is akin to terrorism,” Ruto said in Ruiru.
“There is no difference between Mr. Makenzie who pretends and postures as a pastor when in fact, he is a terrible criminal. Terrorists use religion to advance their heinous acts. People like Mackenzie are using religion to do exactly the same thing,” he said.
“I have instructed the agencies responsible to take up the matter and to get to the root cause and to the bottom of the activities.”
He spoke as security agencies continued to dig graves in Shakahola forest in search of more bodies.
So far 47 bodies have been recovered.
Kenya Red Cross said it had set up tracing and counseling desks at the Malindi Sub-County Hospital for the Shakahola response.
At the trading desk, 112 people had been reported missing, by Sunday as the exercise to exhume more mass graves in what has now become known as the Shakahola massacre, entered its fourth day.
Detectives conducting exhumations on Sunday, April 23, dug out 26 more bodies buried in shallow graves, to push the tally of bodies so far exhumed to 47, area head of DCI Charles Kamau said.
Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome was Monday expected at the scene as the exhumation goes on.
Kamau said the search was continuing not just for bodies but for survivors of the cult.
The 800-acre (325-hectare) area of forest at Shakahola has been sealed off for the search operation.
Police expect to find more bodies that are buried in shallow graves where 15 members of the Good News International Church were rescued last week.
The church leader, Paul Makenzie Nthenge is in custody, pending a court appearance.
Police say they have so far identified 58 graves in the search even as the preacher told them they will find more than 1,000 people who had gone to “meet Jesus”.
Nthenge was arrested on 15 April after discovering the bodies of four people suspected of having starved themselves to death.
This followed a tip-off from a follower at the church.
One of the graves contained the bodies of five members of the same family – three children and their parents.
Nthenge has denied wrongdoing but has been refused bail.
He insists that he shut down his church in 2019.
The followers say he told them to starve themselves in order to “meet Jesus”.
