Government agencies should have been able to prevent the deaths by starvation of more than 200 church members in Kenya’s coastal region, says President William Ruto.

Mr Ruto, who took responsibility for the disaster, said the incident could have been avoided.

“I am not taking it lightly,” said Mr Ruto in a joint interview with Kenyan media outlets late Sunday. “I am taking responsibility that as president, this should not have happened.”

He added, “And certainly, some people who are responsible for this failure on the part of the government will have to give an account.” 

Authorities accused Paul Mackenzie, leader of the Good News International Church, of ordering his followers to starve themselves and their children to death so they could go to heaven before the end of the world.

The death toll so far stood at 201, making it one of the worst cult-related disasters in recent history.

Of the 201, eight people died from emaciation after being rescued, while the rest had been exhumed mostly from mass graves in Shakahola Forest in Kilifi county in the country’s southeast.

Mr Ruto said given the presence of government agencies in the area, including police, intelligence services and the local administration, Mr Mackenzie’s activities should not have gone unnoticed.

“It should not have happened when we have all the agencies. We have our intelligence; we have our CID (Criminal Investigations Department), we have chiefs and all the other people in the whole of that ecosystem,” noted the Kenyan president.

Mr Mackenzie was arrested this year on suspicion of the murder of two children by starvation and suffocation but was released on bail.

Relatives of his adherents said after Mr Mackenzie was freed, he returned to Shakahola forest and moved forward his predicted date for the end of the world from August to April 15.

Mr Mackenzie surrendered to police on April 14 after police raided the forest where the church was based, rescuing 15 people who had been starving themselves.

Last week, a court denied Mr Mackenzie bail. He had not yet been required to enter a plea after handing himself over to police last month.

George Kariuki, a lawyer representing Mr Mackenzie, had said the self-styled pastor was cooperating with the investigation.

Mr Ruto recently appointed a commission of inquiry into the deaths in Shakahola and another task force to review regulations governing religious organisations. 

(Reuters/NAN)