Pastor Paul Mackenzie’s alleged 800-acre Shakahola farm has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons.
The farm is believed to be the burial ground for over 100 of the pastor’s followers.
New details have emerged that the farm may actually be owned by the Kenyan government of President William Ruto.
Kilifi Governor Gideon Mung’aro revealed that the 800-acre land is part of the Chakama Settlement scheme set aside by the government to promote rural development by establishing farms in underdeveloped areas.
According to Mung’aro, the 800-acre farm is part of many acres of Chakama Ranch land that people grabbed.
“That land which Mackenzie is occupying is not his; we have three schemes in that area which were initially grabbed by some individuals from the Chakama ranchers,” he said on Tuesday.
Governor Mung’aro also revealed that the first and second phases of the settlement scheme had been recovered by the government.
When he was Malindi MP, they managed to recover the phases which had been grabbed.
“We managed to recover Phase One which is about 52,000 acres and Phase Two was recovered around five years ago,” Mung’aro said.
“The area he (Mackenzie) is occupying is Chakama phase three which is currently being contested for by the people who grabbed it and the bank,” he added.
As of Wednesday evening, the police had recovered 109 bodies from mass graves in Shakahola village, Kilifi, where followers of Mackenzie are believed to have been buried.
The Kenya Red Cross has also reported that 212 people have been reported missing at their desks in Shakahola.
Speaking on Tuesday when he visited Kilifi, Kindiki said Mackenzie and all his collaborators have a date with destiny.
“Over and above charging Mackenzie with terrorism, I’m convinced that a case can be built for charging him and his collaborators with genocide,” he said.
