President William Ruto on Monday broke his silence on the horrific Shakahola cult deaths amid a litany of questions about why the government took too long to protect the lives of the victims.
The depressing revelations of more than 69 deaths — and counting — from a misguided fast at the Good News International Church have equally reignited calls for regulation of religious groupings.
President Ruto wants the alleged mastermind of Kilifi cult deaths Paul Mackenzie prosecuted, a call that came in the wake of the opposition demanding a public inquiry into the bizarre deaths.
The President likened the deaths to terrorist activities, saying the "perpetrators belong to jail" - in reference to the controversial preacher.
The head of state also put on notice criminals masquerading as religious people ,saying they will face the law.
"What we are seeing in Kilifi, Shakahola, is akin to terrorism. There is no difference between Mackenzie who pretends and postures as a pastor when in fact he is a terrible criminal," he said.
"Terrorists use religion to advance their heinous acts. People like Mackenzie are using religion to do the same thing," the President said.
Authorities drew out from shall graves 20 more bodies at the Good News International Church, pushing the toll to 67.
The President directed relevant security agencies to take up the matter and probe extremist religious groupings.
But Kenyans are furious at the sheer negligence of the state, asking where the local administration and police have been.
Azimio a Umoja on Monday demanded a comprehensive public inquiry into the cult deaths, saying there could be more secret mass graves.
The opposition said the probe should unearth how the deaths and mass burial escaped the attention of local security and intelligence apparatus.
National Assembly Minority leader Opiyo Wandayi and his Senate counterpart Stewart Madzayo blamed the government for letting down the people of Kilifi.
They pushed for action against government officials who ‘slept on the job’.
Wandayi said the deaths would have not happened had the state grassroots structures been operational.
“We must know who did or should have done what. We must audit the criminal justice system and its interactions with the main suspect and members of this cult," he said.
"We believe it could have been prevented. We believe God allowed it to unravel in order to expose our hypocrisy as a nation,” the Ugunja MP added.
“This is a colossal failure of the State. It is an unforgivable failure of security intelligence that, in theory, extends from Nairobi all the way to the Shakahola forest and every village in Kenya."
Senate Speaker Amason Kingi, who once represented Magarini constituency where Shakahola is, accused the National Intelligence Service for sleeping on the job.
Kingi said the events were a wake-up call to the nation, especially the NIS and the country's community policing programme.
"How did such a heinous crime, organised and executed over a considerable period of time, escape the radar of our intelligence system? How did evil of such an astounding magnitude take place without being detected?"
His National Assembly counterpart Moses Wetang’ula also blamed the deaths on the laxity of the national government administration officers.
"Where were the chiefs, their assistants and Nyumba Kumi officers when the cult-related activities were being practised in the area?” Wetang’ula posed.
Machakos Deputy Governor Francis Mwangagi told the Star that it was time to regulate the faith-based groups to stop the abuse of innocent Kenyans.
"The government and Parliament have a task to decide whether we are going to regulate the churches or not. This time it is in Malindi, we don’t know where it will hit next,” Mwangangi said.
Senate Minority leader Stewart Madzayo too blamed the country’s security apparatus for failing the innocent people of Kilifi.
"As all these were happening, where were the local security officers including the chiefs, police officers and even NIS," Madzayo said.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindki on Sunday said the Shakahola forest massacre mastermind must face the full force of the law.
"This horrendous blight on our conscience must lead not only to the most severe punishment of the perpetrator(s) of the atrocity on so many innocent souls but tighter regulation (including self-regulation) of every church, mosque, temple or synagogue going forward," he said.
