The Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) has asked the government to regulate operations of churches in the country.
In a statement on Monday April 24, the Bishops led by Martin Kivuva stated that the current self-regulation has been jeopardized by leadership structures in some churches.
“It is our considered opinion that if a strong mechanism of regulating religions was in place, the long arm of the law would have stopped Pastor Mackenzie from taking advantage of Kenyans to engage in acts of mass suicide,” he said.
The Bishops noted that a review of the proposals in the Religious Societies Rules 2015, would ensure that rogue pastors are exposed and denied an opportunity to do wrongful acts.
“Such a review should help to identify the weak legal and religious links that cult leaders have been exploiting to brainwash their unsuspecting followers,” read the statement further.
The Catholic Bishops also said its was unfortunate for Pastor Paul Mackenzie’s cult church to operate for such a long time, leading to the loss of so many lives with the state security machinery completely unaware.
“It is very unfortunate that we are witnessing a worrying reality in the country where so-called prophets and cultic leaders have mastered the art of exploiting gullible Kenyans in the name of religion,” they added.
This comes after the number of people who died from the Shakahola cult rose to more than 70 on Monday.
Pastor Mackenzie who is the mastermind behind the cult is said to have instructed his followers of the Good News International Church to starve themselves in order to meet Jesus.
President William Ruto broke his silence on the Shakahola massacre on Monday, saying that the perpetrators belong in jail as their acts are akin to terrorism.
Also Read: President Ruto Breaks Silence On Paul Mackenzie Cult
