Cabinet okays sweeping religious reforms amid fears of ‘Shakahola Two’ cult resurgence

The government has approved a set of proposals by the Presidential Taskforce on Religious Organisations, developed in the wake of the Shakahola tragedy, to safeguard faith-based institutions against exploitation.

The proposals were endorsed during a Cabinet meeting chaired by President William Ruto at State House, Nairobi, on Tuesday. Key measures include the formation of a Religious Affairs Commission, leadership standards, reforms to religious broadcasting and civic education to combat extremism and promote tolerance.

The reforms aim to protect the integrity of religious practice while addressing misuse of faith by rogue actors. The proposed model encourages self-regulation among religious groups while incorporating supportive State oversight.

Among the core recommendations is the enactment of a comprehensive legal framework to govern the operations of religious organisations, the establishment of a national Religious Affairs Commission, and the strengthening of umbrella religious bodies for improved coordination and accountability.

A multi-agency implementation approach involving security agencies, interfaith platforms, and educational institutions has also been proposed to ensure full compliance with the reforms.

The recommendations were developed by the Presidential Taskforce on the Review of the Legal and Regulatory Framework Governing Religious Organisations in Kenya, which officially handed its report to President Ruto on July 31, 2024.

In the report, the Taskforce further proposes the adoption of a hybrid regulatory model blending institutional autonomy with government oversight. It also recommends drafting new laws for religious organisations and establishing a Religious Affairs Commission with the mandate to ensure compliance, monitor operations and provide policy guidance.

To further entrench religious responsibility, the Taskforce recommends updating civic education materials to highlight the rights and obligations of religious institutions and citizens while sensitising the public to the risks of radicalisation.

It also proposes reviewing the national curriculum to include education on religious tolerance and the dangers of extremism.

To institutionalise these recommendations, the Taskforce developed a Draft Religious Organisations Policy, 2024, a Draft Religious Organisations Bill, 2024, and the Draft Regulation of Organisations (General) Regulations, 2024.

The Taskforce was established in May 2023 following the Shakahola massacre, where hundreds of followers of controversial preacher Paul Mackenzie reportedly died from starvation and other violent causes in what the state termed as “religious extremism and sinister misrepresentation of faith.”

The Cabinet’s approval of the reforms comes amid growing fears of a possible resurgence of similar cult-like operations, now being referred to as “Shakahola Two”.

Fresh concerns have emerged from Kilifi’s Chakama Ranch, where six children from a family previously rescued during the 2023 Shakahola operation are feared dead and buried after allegedly being taken back to the banned sect by their parents.

The children—Flora (15), Mary (14), Christine (10), Shadrach (6), Esther (4), and Tonny (1)—were part of a family of eight that had been relocated to Nyadorera in Siaya County. In March 2024, the children’s father, Jairus, misled relatives that he had secured work in Bondo, but instead returned with his wife, Lilian Atieno, and the children to Chakama Ranch.

Both parents have since been arrested along with two others after being rescued from the forest.

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A close relative told Citizen TV that he spoke with the couple at a police station and confirmed the deaths of the children.

“To tell the truth, the children are dead, because he confirmed it to me himself. When I found him at the police station, I was allowed to ask him. He told me the children died and were buried. His wife also told me the same,” he said.

He further claimed that Paul Mackenzie continues to direct his followers from prison using a mobile phone.

“This ideology is still going on, and Mackenzie being in prison doesn’t mean anything. He still has his followers outside. He is in prison but operates using a phone,” he said.

He added that Mackenzie had spiritually “prayed” for Jairus via phone while he was fasting. Jairus later fled to seek help after cult members reportedly turned on him for attempting to abandon the sect following the death of his children.

“The government must find a way to control phone use, especially for those charged in Shakahola One,” Mathias Shipeta, Rapid Response Officer at Haki Africa, said.

“We have received information that Mackenzie and his accomplices are still preaching the gospel of fasting unto death via mobile phones, which, according to the prison service, they are entitled to use for communicating with family. But deeper investigations show they are not speaking to family,” he said.

Shipeta warned that based on reports from victims’ families, authorities could uncover more than 47 additional bodies in what activists are now calling “Shakahola Two.”