Martha Karua: What is Ruto regime hiding in Shakahola?

Narc Kenya party leader Martha Karua has read a sinister motive behind the government's directive to prevent the Media from covering the exhumation of bodies in Shakahola Forest in Kilifi County.

Interior CS Kithure Kindiki issued the directive on April 28 and declared the 800-acre land a crime scene that's off limits to journalists.

Over 100 bodies have been exhumed from dozens of shallow graves in the forest, all believed to be victims of indoctrination and murder.

Karua believes there's more than meets the eye.

"What is the Ruto regime hiding with regard to Shakahola that may be informing this behaviour including the barring of media?" she asked.

Karua was responding to news that her Azimio co-principal Raila Odinga had equally been barred from accessing the forest on his visit to the area on Friday.

Raila was accompanied by a number of elected Coastal leaders including Malindi MP Amina Munyanzi.

The leaders were met by a group of senior police officers who told them they could not allow them to enter the gravesite saying those are the rules.

"All of us are working for the government. Those are the rules, I cannot break the rules of operating to allow anything," a senior official said after Munyanzi protested the decision.

Article 33, 34 and 35 of the Constitution grants all Kenyans the right to be informed by the Media without restriction, something Raila pointed out to the officers.

"What has happened here has happened all over the world and should never bar members of the public from the scene. Even the Media, people representing humanitarian organisations," Raila said.

However, the officers did not budge despite continued protests from the Malindi MP.

Speaking after the confrontation, Raila said he spoke to Kindiki following the development but the CS told him to wait.

"An investigation such as this requires the attention of the media. What are you hiding? Aren't people already dead and buried? These guys are hiding something," he said.

Good News International Church pastor Paul Mackenzie has been arrested and arraigned in relation to the deaths in the forest.

He is accused of indoctrinating his followers into fasting to death through radical teachings.  

Mackenzi is detained alongside his wife  Rhoda Mumbua Maweu and 16 other co-accused persons.

They are facing serious crimes of murder, counselling and aiding persons to kill themselves, aiding suicide, abduction, radicalization, genocide, crimes against humanity, child cruelty, fraud and money laundering.