In 2018 December, controversial pastor Paul Mackenzie, now at the heart of a distressing religious cult probe, locked horns with Aisha Jumwa, Public Service and Gender Cabinet Secretary, over his church activities.
The controversial pastor, claimed that the then MP for Malindi, was inciting the public against his church, the Good News International.
At the time, Aisha threatened to storm the church over claims of radical teachings that have seen Learners drop out of school after they were ‘brainwashed’ to believe that education was ‘satanic’.
The CS is said to have accused Mackenzie of giving bribes to security agencies to prevent the church from being closed down.
“It is absurd that despite the pastor being arrested severally and being charged, the pastor is still scot-free and continues with his work of radicalising school children,” said Jumwa during that time.
In his response, Pastor Mackenzie warned Aisha Jumwa against her plot, vowing to take action against her and other politicians opposed to his religious teachings.
During a church service back then Mackenzie had said, if anyone is against my summons and teachings in accordance to the scripture, let them go to court and produce evidence, I am not afraid to serve my god.
CS Jumwa had threatened to make him move after a video went viral on social media showing School going children renouncing education which led to public outcry.
In the two-minute video clip, one of the boys is heard responding to a question saying education is ungodly as revealed in the ‘holy scriptures’.
Police officers raided the church belonging to the controversial pastor in oc 2017 and rescued about 93 children, leading to the arrest of Pastor Mackenzie and some church members.
He was later taken to court and charged with promoting radicalisation and teaching children in an unregistered school at his church.
He denied the charges and was released on a bond of five hundred thousand with surety of a similar amount.
During investigations, some of the children interrogated claimed that education is satanic and said they had left their homes and schools to follow the pastor.
The pastor’s followers, who include primary, secondary school and university students, defended their decision to drop out of school, quoting Bible verses.
In October 2018, angry residents at Bungale in Magarini, Kilifi County demolished one of Pastor Makenzi’s churches on claims of indoctrinating locals with false Christian teachings.
Locals also razed down the home of a Pastor who worked for Pastor Makenzi at Good News International church at Majengo ya Wakala village in Bungale for allegedly promoting extremism.
In a recent probe, however, more details surrounding the controversial cult are being unearthed consecutively as detectives probing the case recover more bodies buried at Shakahola Forest in Kilifi.
The case that is now termed as the Shakahola Massacre has seen a total of 58 bodies being exhumed, with some of them found buried in a mass grave.
Preliminary investigations show that Pastor Mackenzie allegedly instructed members to starve themselves in order to “meet Jesus.”
Mackenzie was charged and freed on a Ksh.10,000 bail.
However, on April 15, police arrested him after discovering the bodies of four followers who allegedly starved themselves to “meet Jesus” at his behest.
Eleven other followers of the church, seven men and four women aged 17 to 49, were taken to hospital, three of them in critical condition, after being rescued on April 14
