Ezekiel Mutua blames Government for inaction against Kilifi cult leader
Former Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB) boss Ezekiel Mutua has blamed government investigative agencies for failing to act against the Kilifi cult leader Paul Mackenzie.
According to Mr Mutua, when he was on the board, he banned the content of Mackenzie’s TV station after it was found to be indoctrinating followers through misleading information.
In a Facebook post, the now CEO of the Music Copyright Society of Kenya (MCSK) revealed that the court had upheld the KFCB’s decision.
The court, according to Mutua, upheld the board’s decision to ban content from the television station owned by the estranged pastor, who is currently in custody for preaching to his followers.
Also read: Terrorist! President Ruto brands Kilifi sect leader Mackenzie a criminal
The controversial preacher reportedly later sold the station to Pastor Ezekiel Odero.
Mutua recalls how a Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) officer was sent from Kilifi to Nairobi to ‘question’ the then KFCB CEO.
“I remember a very efficient DCI officer in Kilifi who once flew to Nairobi to interview me about our decision and produced a comprehensive report that helped the court understand our position,” he explained.
The KFCB’s decision was upheld by the court and the programme was suspended.
What surprises Mr Mutua is the ease with which the relevant government authorities cracked the whip on the founder of Good News International Church.
Also read: Revealed: Kilifi cult leader’s journey from pulpit to prison cell
According to the MCSK boss, the police and investigative agencies were aware of Mackenzie’s heinous actions since the matter first came to public attention a few years ago.
“It is painful to learn that the misleading teachings have caused the loss of so many lives. The illegal activities were known to the relevant government agencies, but some chose to look the other way,” he said.
Mackenzie is accused of radicalising his followers by forcing them to fast and promising them that they will secure God’s kingdom if they succumb to abstinence from food and drink.
The misleading religious teachings have since led to more than 40 cases of followers dying of starvation.
As exhumations continue on his 800 acres of land in Kilifi’s Shakahola Forest, it has emerged that children and women are the hardest hit victims.
Also read: Truth behind the Malindi cult-like church unveiled by ex-members