During his testimony before the Senate Committee investigating the Shakahola massacre, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki provided distressing details. He claimed that preacher Paul Mackenzie and his associates allegedly enjoyed a lavish three-star meal at Shakahola Forest while their followers suffered from starvation.
Kindiki drew a powerful comparison to the historical relationship between slaves and their masters, highlighting the unequal power dynamics at play. He emphasized that Mackenzie's followers felt trapped and compelled to obey his commands without any viable alternatives. This testimony shed light on the severe conditions endured by the followers and underscored the stark contrast between their dire circumstances and the alleged luxurious meal enjoyed by Mackenzie and his companions.
"In some of the Shakahola Forest's shelters, we discovered a well-organized menu like that of a 3-Star hotel. Next to people who were hungry and dying, Mackenzie and his scouts were having a healthy breakfast, lunch, and supper,'' Kindiki claimed.
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During his testimony, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki made a shocking revelation regarding preacher Paul Mackenzie. Kindiki alleged that Mackenzie had allegedly employed armed individuals to oversee his followers while they suffered from starvation. Furthermore, he claimed that instances of rebellion among the followers were met with brutal force, involving acts such as strangulation or attacks with blunt objects to suppress any dissent. The testimony painted a disturbing picture of the extreme measures taken by Mackenzie and his associates to maintain control over their followers, even resorting to violence to quell any attempts at rebellion.
"Mackenzie had hired armed youths to hang around with his supporters and keep an eye on their hunger to death," said Kindiki. According to the CS, those who changed their minds regarding starving were either strangled to death or struck with blunt instruments.
"This Mackenzie terrorist planned every action he took. He stayed away from technology, and a large portion of the money he had stolen from others was paid in cash. Because some of the mass graves had plants covering them, our officers had to manually search for the graves. The completion of this procedure will take a long time," Kindiki remarked.
