Nairobi, April 27 (BNA): The Kenyan Minister of Interior said today, Thursday, that he had arrested a Kenyan church leader for the “mass killing of his followers,” a few days after the arrest of a sect leader in the same area and mass graves. of his followers.
Minister Kethuri Kindiki said on Twitter that authorities evacuated more than 100 people who were “trapped” at the Ezekiel Odero Prayer Center and New Life Church in the small southeastern town of Mavweni.
Odero, dressed in white robes and holding a thick black book, did not answer reporters’ questions as a uniformed officer escorted him to the police station. Reuters reported that it was not possible for Reuters to contact any lawyer representing him.
Mavweni is located 66 kilometers (40 miles) from the Chakhula Forest, where Pastor Paul Mackenzie accused his followers of starving themselves to death before predicting the end of the world on April 15.
At least 98 members of Good News International Church in Mackenzie have died and the death toll has risen steadily since authorities began exhuming mass graves on Friday.
Provincial official Rhoda Onyancha said Odero’s arrest was linked to “allegations of deaths that occurred at his premises and were reported in various morgues or institutions.”
Interior Minister Kindeke wrote on Twitter that Odero “is being tried to face criminal charges related to the mass murder of his followers.”
“The aforementioned church has been closed. More than 100 people who were holed up in the building have been evacuated and will be required to register data,” Kennedy added.
President William Ruto and Kennedy said earlier this week that authorities would crack down on radical religious leaders who broke the law.
Some Kenyan lawmakers have criticized the security services for missed opportunities to prevent mass deaths in the Chakhola Forest after it emerged that Mackenzie had been arrested on suspicion of killing two children, then released on bail last month.
Mackenzie was arrested again on April 14, and taken into custody along with 14 other members of his church. Kenyan media reported that he was refusing food and water.
The death toll among Mackenzie’s followers is expected to rise. The Kenya Red Cross says more than 300 people are missing.
Reuters has not been able to reach any lawyer or representative who can respond on McKenzie’s behalf to the charges against him.
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