A court in Shanzu has threatened to set free suspected cult-leader Paul Mackenzie and his 29 accomplices should the Government fail to press charges against them over Shakahola massacre in the next two weeks.
Senior Principal Magistrate Yusuf Shikanda explains that the pre-trial detention of Mackenzie and his accomplices has taken too long and the state should now make a step to put it to an end.
While giving the order, the Magistrate says it was illegal for the Government to continue detaining the suspects for 180 more days despite (the State) having adequate time to conclude its investigations.
“If no decision to charge the respondents will have been made after the expiry of 14 days, the court will consider releasing the respondents from custody on terms that will be determined by this court,” – Magistrate Shikanda.
Mackenzie and his accomplices have been in police custody for at least 117 after the State applied for a 180-day detention for further investigations. The Magistrate notes that the journey now has to come to an end.
“The respondents have been in custody for over three months. It has been a long journey that must now come to an end, at least for this phase,” the Magistrate says.
The State had applied for the 180-day detention period to allow identification of the over 400 bodies dug from Shakahola currently lying in a makeshift morgue in Malindi.
