Police on Monday, April 24 arrested the suspected co-mastermind of the Shakahola ‘starvation cult’ allied to pastor Paul Mackenzie’s church in Malindi.
The suspect, who identified himself as Pastor Zablon Wa Yesu, is said to be the second senior clergy at the Good News International Church.
Police found him reading a Bible on the expansive 800-acre land owned by pastor Mackenzie. He was among nine people that police rescued during an operation to flush out members of the church from their hideouts in the forest.
Five of the rescued people were in critical condition and rushed to hospital while Pastor Zablon wa Yesu was not fasting.
He said he was waiting until June when he would start fasting alongside other men from the Good News International Church.
Police are holding pastor Zablon wa Yesu as the exhumation exercise on the land continues.
By 6 PM Monday, detectives had recovered 26 more bodies from six graves, bringing the total of confirmed dead to 73.
This came as several government officials trooped to Shakahola village in Malindi, among them Inspector-General of Police Japheth Koome, Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Amin Mohammed and DPP Noordin Haji.
The DPP assured that his office will find the toughest charges to prefer against those involved.
