Human rights activist Boniface Mwangi has blasted Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Alliance leader Raila Odinga for meeting Pastor Ezekiel Odero of New Life Church after his release.
During the visit, Raila who was accompanied by pastor Ezekiel’s lawyers among them Cliff Ombeta and Kilifi governor Gideon Mung’aro was taken on a tour of the expansive church.
Prosecutors accuse pastor Ezekiel of links to cult leader Paul Mackenzie, who is in custody facing terrorism charges over the deaths of more than 100 people and many of them children in the Shakahola area within Malindi in Kilifi county.
Via his Twitter account, Mwangi expressed his disappointment in the former prime minister for making the visit.
He said the ODM Party leader loves scoring own goals and doesn’t learn from his past mistakes.
“Raila Odinga loves scoring own goals! Life is brutal to those who never learn from their past mistakes,” Mwangi wrote.
Police on Friday denied Azimio leader Raila Odinga and three local MPs entry into the Shakahola mass gravesite, saying it is a security operation zone.
Mr Odinga, who had arrived at the scene at midday accompanied by MPs Amina Mnyanzi( Malindi), Harrison Kombe (Magarini) and Gertrude Mbeyu (Kilifi Woman Rep), waited for two hours as they made calls to the Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki seeking permission to be allowed into the crime scene.
Mr Odinga said he intended to condole with Kenyans who had lost relatives there.
“The Shakahola incident has caught the world’s attention. I haven’t seen anywhere else where there have been reports of cults (and) the media is blocked.
Why did the government ban the media and human rights from the ground? I don’t need anyone’s permission to get there and I had even made my visit public,” Mr Odinga protested.
Interior CS Kithure Kindiki listed the Shakahola forest as a disturbed area and security operation zone last month.
Mr Odinga told the government to come clean on the operation that is going on in the forest.
The ODM leader further claimed that the controversial pastors conducting cultic activities have been hobnobbing with senior political leaders in the government.
Should be arrested
“These are conmen using religion to prey on innocent Kenyans. They are criminals and should be arrested. We raised concerns about the regulations of churches but we were ignored. Now we have been vindicated. These are the same religious leaders who allow politicians to use the church to politicise,” he said.
The opposition leader said senior officers had informed him that the area was out of bounds to him and his team.
