Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki has disclosed plans to convert the Shakahola Forest crime scene into a memorial.
Speaking Tuesday while giving updates on phase three of the exhumation exercise, CS Kindiki said the site of the mass graves linked to religious extremism cannot be used for human activity ever again.
“So that Kenyans would never forget. This place can never be reverted to ranching or any form,” Kindiki said.
He added: “Once the scene of crime is cleared, it will be taken over as a national memorial site. The government is in consultation with members of the local community to convert the place into an area of remembrance so generations to come never forget there was this kind of inhumanity here in Shakahola.”
Authorities have also established that the land owned by cult leader Paul Mackenzie is 3716 acres, not 800 acres as previously believed.
“Investigations have so far established that Mackenzie extended his criminal activities beyond the 800-acre parcel of land at the Shakahola Forest. We are looking at the entire 5,000-acre Chakama ranch,” CS Kindiki said.
The CS also announced that construction of security roads across the more than 37,000 acres of Chakama Ranch has commenced to facilitate comprehensive, methodical, and scientific investigations and facilitate search and rescue efforts, as well as identification of graves.
Army personnel are expected to begin excavating temporary roads after subdividing the land into 200 and 500 acre tracts to ease movement.
“A decision has been taken to open security roads. And create compartments so that at every 100 acres we can do our work methodically. We will not leave any of our people either dead or alive,” CS Kindiki said
As of Tuesday, 251 bodies had been exhumed and 95 people rescued alive while starving themselves to death in religious heroism.
Kindiki also noted that the investigations team has gathered sufficient and credible evidence to sustain a watertight case against Mackenzie and his collaborators.
“They will face among other charges, genocide and crimes against humanity,” he said.
