The Kenyan president assumed “full responsibility” for the deaths of more than 200 people on land belonging to a Christian sect in the south of the country and promised that the authorities “will get to the bottom of the matter” to clarify the case.
“I take responsibility that, as president, this should not have happened. My promise to the Kenyans is that we will get to the bottom of the matter,” William Ruto said during an interview with Kenyan media. “We take full responsibility,” he said.
The head of state added that “some of those responsible for this government failure will be held accountable”, considering that “this type of thing should not have happened”, according to the Kenyan newspaper “The Nation”.
The president regretted that the cult leader, Paul Mackenzie, and his “accomplices” were “arrested and brought to court more than once and then released, at which point he saw the need to continue his criminal activities in the name of the religion”. “This person is a terrorist,” he said.
On the other hand, he explained that he had not yet gone to the sect’s land, in Malindi, because the place “was declared a crime scene” and criticized the former prime minister and current opposition leader, Raila Odinga, for having gone there ” What helps a political figure go there (to a crime scene)? Is he a security expert? A doctor? Will he exhume bodies?”
Ruto also defended the prohibition of media access to these lands, in Shakahola, and said that “what is there is not a scenario to report.” “What is there to hide from the graves and the dead? If they had gone to Shakahola, they would have filmed the graves and the disintegrated bodies to show them to the Kenyans,” he questioned.
Finally, he rejected the possibility of imposing rules on the Church and defended “the existence of a self-regulating institution.” “We want to establish, with religious leaders, a mechanism to ensure that religion and faith are not taken advantage of by criminals and thieves to cause harm,” he said.
The main leaders of the sect, led by Mackenzie, exhorted followers to fast until death, with the promise that they would find Jesus Christ in a new life. According to the latest official balance, there are 201 deaths.
Source: TSF
