Dj Vnyash
On Tuesday, President William Ruto received the report from the Presidential Taskforce on the Review of the Legal and Regulatory Framework Governing Religious Organisations in Kenya.
The taskforce was established in May last year following the Shakahola forest massacre in Malindi, Kilifi County, where over 400 people died. Paul Mackenzie of the Good News International Church had ordered his followers to starve themselves and their children to death to reach heaven.
Chaired by Reverend Mutava Musyimi, the 17-member team was tasked with identifying gaps that have allowed extremist religious organisations to establish themselves in Kenya. Their mandate included formulating a legal framework to prevent such radical entities from operating locally and proposing civic education measures to sensitize Kenyans about the dangers of religious cults.
The team is also expected to recommend actions the State may take against individuals and organisations suspected of engaging in extremist religious practices.
Mackenzie is currently in police custody, charged with terrorism along with 94 co-defendants. At a hearing in January, they pleaded not guilty to charges including murder, manslaughter, and child torture and cruelty.
The remains of more than 440 people have been unearthed from Shakahola forest. While autopsies indicated starvation as the main cause of death, some victims were found to have been strangled, beaten, or suffocated. Previous court documents also revealed that some bodies had organs removed.
