Mary Smart, wife to the secretary and devoted follower of controversial pastor Paul Mackenzie was arrested on Monday, May 15, days after her family confessed that they believed she had died.
The secretary, Smart Mwakalama, was believed to be one of the masterminds of the Shakahola massacre.
Mary was among others rescued from the starvation cult on May 14, and immediately taken to hospital for treatment.
However, she was arrested and interrogated for hours by police over her role and links to the church at the Malindi Police Station.
In an earlier interview, her parents, who were also co-founders of the Good News International Church, stated that they feared that Mary had died.
The family stopped going to the church after Mackenzie took to the podium and started sharing teachings that they did not embrace, however, their daughter stayed behind.
According to the family, Mary had been missing for weeks together with her daughter and grandchildren and they therefore believed that she was dead.
“Mary died with her daughter who had two children. Mary’s daughter was also pregnant when she died.
"My granddaughter was very smart in school, she got As in exams and even her teachers wanted to take her to study aviation but she stopped going to school because of the teachings of the church,” Mary’s mother stated.
However, during interrogation with police officers, Mary claimed that she was looking for her five children who she had left at the Shakahola forest two weeks prior.
Smart Mwakalama was among the individuals arrested with controversial pastor Paul Mackenzie for his role in the indoctrination that left hundreds of followers dead after severe starvation.
Officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) continued with the exhuming of bodies buried at the Shakahola forest, with the death toll having surpassed the 200 mark.
President William Ruto on Sunday, May 14, assured Kenyans that the government would leave no stone unturned to ensure that such unfortunate events do not happen again.
