Court officials and attendants were on Thursday treated to unusual proceedings as controversial pastor Paul Mackenzie shared the word of God in court.
Mackenzie was arraigned at a Shanzu court together with 27 other co-accused persons awaiting the ruling on whether it will allow the State to detain them for a further 47 days.
In his sermon, Mackenzie was heard saying that many will desire to enter the narrow gate to heaven but they will fail.
“Yesu alisema kuingia kwa mlango ulio mwembamba wengi watataka lakini wasiweze. Akasema mtu ni lazima aviwache vyote ndipo aweze kuwa mwanafunzi wake. Tosha,” he said.
“Waambieni wanadamu maneno hayo. Ni ya Yesu sio ya Mackenzie. Yesu alisema jitahidini kuingia kupitia kwa mlango ulio mwembamba maana wengi watataka lakini wasiweze.”
The words are drawn from the Bible from the which as per the New International Version says, “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to.”
Mackenzie and the co-accused have already spent 90 days in custody.
The Director of Public Prosecutions, August 2 applied to have the police allowed to continue holding the suspects for at least seven weeks to finish their probe.
Mackenzie, his wife Rhoda Maweu and the co-accused are facing at least 12 charges including murder, counseling and aiding suicide, abduction, radicalisation, genocide, crimes against humanity, child cruelty, fraud, and money laundering.
They are being blamed for their involvement in the deaths of more than 425 people whose bodies have been exhumed from Shakahola.
According to the State, it is better to invest more time in compelling investigations and do all that is necessary to expedite the hearing and the disposal of the case.
