One member of the cultist Good News International Church in Shakahola village in Malindi was an air hostess who quit her 11-year career last month to join the church led by pastor Paul Mackenzie.
This is according to the woman’s brother-in-law who has been camping at Shakahola for the past week, hoping to find his relatives.
Abbas Babatunde, a Nigerian national, said six of his relatives, including his wife and children, left their Nairobi home two weeks ago.
He told reporters that his wife told him on April 8 that they were traveling to Malindi for prayers at pastor Makenzie’s 840-acre farm in Shakahola.
“Actually all six are missing. My in-laws, my wife, and my children. I used to live in Nairobi with my wife and she visited her sister in Likoni and they told me they were going to visit their parents in Malindi,” he said as quoted by the Standard.
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“They left our Nairobi home without a word and traveled to Shakahola village in search of Pastor Mackenzie,” said the distraught man, adding that their mother had been living on Mackenzie’s land for the past year.
Abbas said the air hostess, who is his sister-in-law, traveled to Shakahola village with her sister and niece to join their mother, a long-time follower of the church.
He reportedly said the woman sold her land for Sh7 million and took the money to Pastor Mackenzie as tithe and offerings.
“My wife too left her military job after her sister quit hers, and they left,” Abbas said.
He said he hopes to find his relatives.
“Since I arrived here, I have witnessed horrific scenes, but I’m still hoping that my family is still alive,” he said.
Abbas said he traveled to Malindi and went all the way to Shakahola using Google Maps until he found the police who were exhuming bodies in pastor Mackenzie’s land
“I just hope to get them alive or dead, I will accept the result and the pastor has no conscience,” he said.
On Sunday, April 23, 18 more bodies were exhumed from 11 grave sites out of 26 graves that detectives have discovered so far, bringing the total number of those confirmed dead to 39.
Detectives are also searching for more followers believed to be in hiding and starving themselves to death in the expansive forest owned by Pastor Paul Mackenzie.
One woman was found on the brink of death in one of the hideouts and was reportedly indicating to police that she did not want to be rescued.
Meanwhile, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki, in a statement on Sunday, said he will visit the scene on Tuesday.
The CS also directed the Coast Regional Commissioner and security chiefs to reinforce the team currently carrying out the exhumation at Mackenzie’s land.
