Police have arrested Paul Mackenzie’s wife in connection with the ongoing inquiry into the Shakahola cult, whose followers were persuaded to starve to death in order to meet God.
Rhoda Mumbua Maweu, and her aunt were apprehended from their hideout on Monday in Mtwapa within Kilifi County.
Mumbua has been identified as a key figure in the church’s operations, a security source with knowledge of the probe revealed to the Nation.
Mackenzie has been charged with using fear of the unknown and distorted, extreme religious doctrines to manipulate his followers in their quest for salvation, which resulted in numerous deaths.
The controversial pastor is in police custody on allegations of preaching a dangerous doctrine that encourages his followers to starve themselves to death so as to reach heaven faster.
Up until now, 110 bodies have already been retrieved from the 800 acre land in Shakahola Forest.
Police have been looking into Mackenzie’s phone records and quizzing church members as part of their investigation.
Mumbua’s name surfaced as a potential suspect during this process.
Shakahola cult link
Police are investigating her case from the angle of “human resource manager” for Mackenzie’s administration.
Investigators believe she was a significant player in church leadership and contributed to the dubious doctrine that resulted in a number of deaths.
When police looked through Mackenzie’s phone records, they found a number of suspicious messages between him and his wife.
Mumbua, according to the police, was a key player in the cult’s recruitment of new members.
Pastor Mackenzie and wife in a past photo. Photo: courtesy
She is also said to have had access to confidential financial information and may have participated in financial decisions made on the church’s behalf.
Third wife
Mumbua is Mackenzie’s third wife. In 2009, Mackenzie’s first wife passed away, leaving two kids.
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He remarried in 2012, and his second wife passed away in 2017, leaving behind four children.
Pastor Mackenzie married Mumbua soon after the death of his second wife.
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