Senate seeks more officers for rescue team at Shakahola

The Senate has recommended additional personnel to the search and rescue mission for survivors of the fasting-to-death cult at Shakahola Forest in Kilifi County.

The committee led by Tana River Senator Danson Mungatana at the weekend visited the scene where 237 bodies of people believed to have starved to death to meet their creator were exhumed and came face to face with the tragedy.

Mungatana said the committee would welcome views from Kenyans on ways of regulating religion, adding that his committee has been meeting religious leaders and other stakeholders to get their views.

He said the process would be transparent and open to the public.

"We have been able today to visit the place known as Galilee where Mr Paul Makenzi was having his house, and we have been able to see where he would institute punishment and judgement at that place," he said.

Mungatana said they were shown a mass grave that had 67 people at a place called Bethlehem.

"We want to appeal to our people to be patient with us," he said.

He said they were informed that there were other forces behind the cultic teachings and vowed to get to the bottom of the matter.

The legislator noted that there were complaints from locals that they reported the matter to the security agencies, but little action was taken.

He said they are waiting for the police internal affairs report, warning that all those mentioned will be dealt with under the law.

Mungatana was accompanied by his cice chair Shakila Abdalla, Migori senator Eddy Oketch, Ms Tabitha Mutinda (nominated) Faki Mohamed (Mombasa), William Cheptumo (Baringo), Veronica Maina (nominated), Kisii senator Richard Onyonka and Hamida Kibwana.

Migori senator said the 130 rescues and search personnel were inadequate while Ms Mutinda asked the government to equip well the Lango Baya police station where Shakahola falls.