The family of a missing victim from the Shakahola massacre lifted the lid on burial permits and death certificates they claimed were issued approving a number of burials within the forest by the area's chief.
According to the family of Silas Otieno who went missing as part of the cult, the youth left for Mombasa accompanied by an individual believed to be an agent of controversial pastor Paul Mackenzie. Shortly after, Otieno notified the family that he had married a wife, bought a piece of land and built a house
Later, the family also received a letter signed by their relative notifying them that his wife had passed on.
However, they were alarmed when the letter stated that Otieno had decided to bury the woman in the Shakahola Forest without taking her to the mortuary.
“I am confirming that my wife has passed away at the Shakahola Forest in Makongeni and I have decided to bury her today, January 28, 2022, here at home without taking her to the mortuary,” the letter read in part.
According to the victim's mother, when they questioned why he did not notify the family of the woman, he told them that she had earlier thrown away her phone and did not want to speak to anyone.
“We were surprised because the family of the lady is alive. Her mother and father are alive. We wondered why he would bury her in the absence of her family,” the mother lamented.
When the family went to Shakahola, they unearthed a burial permit signed by the Makongeni Chief, who served as the assistant chief at the time.
Esther Mwandi, whose daughter was buried in the forest corroborated the claims noting that her daughter was dead because, otherwise the burial permit would not have been issued by the administrators.
Additionally, the family claimed that they had earlier visited the forest in the company of two police officers, the chief and the assistant chief
“The chief is the one who directs you through the forest. There is no way you could enter the forest without direction from the chief and a police officer.
“Police officers put a barrier there (in the forest) and only removed it when they heard that the chief was coming,” a relative of the family narrated.
The chief in question, however, denied the claims stating that he only issued permits for residents of Shakahola and not burials in the forest.
“If someone tells me that they come from Shakahola and verified that their kin had died, of course, I would issue the permit. I did not, however, issue any permit for anyone buried in the forest,” the chief stated.
The chief also maintained that he was not aware of Silas Otieno's whereabouts.
Paul Mackenzie, who is believed to have masterminded the cult, was rearrested on Tuesday, May 2, as the investigations on the case continues.
