Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Daily Nation
Published on 2024-01-31 11:43:51
The government has officially declared that a church owned by controversial preacher Paul Mackenzie is an organised criminal group. This decision was announced in a gazette notice issued by Cabinet Secretary for Internal Affairs and National Administration Kithure Kindiki, designating Good News International Ministries as an organised criminal group under the Prevention of Organised Crime Act number 6 of 2010.
The notice read, “In exercise of the powers conferred by section 22(1) of the Prevention of Organized Crimes Act, the Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration declares Good News International Ministries to be an organised criminal group for the purposes of the Act.”
Organised crime involves transnational, national, or local groupings that engage in illegal activities, typically for financial gain. Good News International Ministries is now listed alongside 28 other criminal groups in the country, such as al-Shabab, Mungiki, and various other gangs.
Paul Mackenzie, the leader of the church, has been charged with over 400 different offenses, including murder, terrorism, and child neglect in various courts across Malindi, Shanzu, Mombasa, and Tononoka. In January, Mackenzie was accused of murder and terrorism related to the discovery of over 400 bodies in mass graves in Shakahola, Kilifi County. The bodies displayed signs of starvation and it was alleged that some of the children may have been strangled.
Mackenzie and 38 other defendants stand accused of child cruelty and child rights violations, including beating children with sticks causing bodily harm and violating their right to education. Their case is set to be heard on February 15, which includes a bail application. This follows Mackenzie’s arrest after bodies were discovered in Shakahola forest, leading to the exhumation of 429 bodies, including children.
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