Fatuma Hadi named Kilifi police commander in changes over Shakahola massacre

The new team was Saturday ordered to report by May 2.

In Summary
  • This follows a purge of all security commanders in the area in the wake of the Shakahola forest massacre linked to a cult.
  • Nakuru West head of DCI Stephen Ambani was promoted in the changes and named the County Criminal Investigations Officer (CCIO).
The new Kilifi County Police Commander Fatuma Hadi.
The new Kilifi County Police Commander Fatuma Hadi.
Image: HANDOUT

Former Kilimani head of Directorate Criminal Investigations (DCI) Fatuma Hadi is the new Kilifi County Police Commander.

This follows a purge of all security commanders in the area in the wake of the Shakahola forest massacre linked to a cult.

Nakuru West head of DCI Stephen Ambani was promoted in the changes and named the County Criminal Investigations Officer (CCIO).

Other commanders of various units including the National Intelligence Service (NIS) will be named later.

The new team was Saturday ordered to report by May 2 and join a team from the DCI headquarters that is leading the probe into the saga.

Head of Investigations Bureau at DCI headquarters Abdallah Komesha is leading the team investigating the saga.

Hadi was until her deployment to Kilifi the deputy head of personnel at the DCI headquarters.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki visited the scene Friday and announced the redeployment of all police commanders in Kilifi County, saying this would allow a thorough probe into the cult activities.

He said the commanders were from all levels – division, sub-county and county – and all services – the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the National Police Service (NPS) and the National Intelligence Service (NIS).

Kilifi Governor Gideon Mung'aro said some police officers who have overstayed in Kilifi and could have been complicit in the cult's activities should also be transferred.

President William Ruto said all commissioners and county officers have been transferred over what he termed as "sleeping on the job".

"We transferred all those who slept on the job, the commissioners, policemen, CID officers who were there when the death of many Kenyans was happening.," he said.

"We have told them to leave so that we can know what really happened."

Ruto said Sunday he will appoint a Judicial Commission of Inquiry to conduct an investigation into the Shakahola massacre.

This follows the discovery of more than 109 bodies so far from the forest buried in shallow graves.

The victims were members of the Good News International Church, founded by pastor Paul Mackenzie Nthenge.

They were allegedly buried after starving to death 'to find Jesus'.Sunday, Ruto said that the commission will be expected to go through the case with a fine tooth comb and hold accountable everyone found culpable.

He spoke during a church service in West Pokot on Sunday arguing the commission will also put an end to incidents similar to the Shakahola massacre.

"This week I will appoint a Judicial Commission of Inquiry so that we can get to the bottom of what happened in Shakahola with Mackenzie and all his collaborators," said Ruto.

Ruto said he will hold extensive discussions with spiritual leaders from across the country to develop a legal framework within which religious centres will operate.

Ruto, who condemned the Shakahola massacre, said the framework will help in taming individuals who seek personal gain in the name of religion.

"I will hold consultations with our religious leaders to have a taskforce so that we can weed out the characters who want to abuse religion to run businesses and things that are anti-religion," he said.

"We want to provide a framework agreed with our religious leaders that will provide for self-regulation so that our church, religion and spiritual leaders can have a mechanism where they can point out to government those who want to abuse religion for other purposes."

Pastor Ezekiel Odero has been linked to the deaths and will spend the weekend in custody ahead of a ruling on Tuesday, May 2 on if he should be released on bail or not.

Dozens more bodies are believed to be buried in shallow graves therein.

Some 36 people have been rescued from starvation.

Mackenzie, who is in police custody, is being investigated for influencing his followers to starve to death in order to meet their maker.

Police also suspect that some of the victims did not starve to death and may have been killed and then buried on the property.

He 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".

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