Senate Speaker Amason Kingi will on Saturday lead a delegation of the Senate to Shakahola to assess the horror situation.
Kingi intimated they might hold a special sitting to determine the steps that the Senate will take or recommend to protect the lives of Kenyans.
“After the assessment, we will give a comprehensive official statement,” said Kingi.
He spoke on the sidelines of the Senate Liaison Committee roundtable meeting with the Kenya Private Sector Alliance at Whitesands Hotel in Mombasa on Friday.
The former Kilifi Governor said the matter has affected the whole of Kenya, not only his former county residents.
“Those who have lost their lives are not only residents of Kilifi county but come from across the whole country,” Kingi said.
He said the matter is akin to a national disaster and that more has to be done to prevent such situations from occurring.
Senators formed an 11-member committee to investigate the mysterious deaths.
The probe seeks to establish the role played by Mackenzie, who is alleged to have asked his followers to starve to death.
Pastor Ezekiel Odero of New Life Prayer Centre was arraigned at the Shanzu Law Court.
He was brought before senior principal magistrate Joe Omido, who ordered that Pastor Ezekiel be detained in police custody until May 2 when he will make a ruling on whether he will allow Ezekiel to be detained for 30 days as requested by police or not.
The police requested the court to let them detain the pastor for 30 days so as to complete their investigations, which also include a possible connection to controversial Good News Life International pastor Mackenzie and the death of over 100 people at his church in Mavueni.
Pastor Ezekiel’s lawyer Jared Magolo however said a pastor cannot be blamed for the death of a churchgoer.
He said relatives take their sick for prayers as a last resort.
“They may or may not survive,” he told the court in defense of his client.
He noted that Pastor Ezekiel has been reporting the deaths that occur at his church, contrary to reports that he has been hiding them.
“People always seek spiritual intervention when they are dying,” noted Magolo, who quoted the woman in the Bible who bled for 12 years and went looking for Jesus for healing.
He said linking pastor Ezekiel to Pastor Mackenzie is wrong.
“Let Mackenzie be answerable for his own doings,” Magolo said.
He challenged the prosecution to produce any witness who accuses Pastor Ezekiel of any of the charges that they want to put against him.
“We are not opposed to investigations going on and the respondent is ready. We will comply with any conditions given by the court,” Magolo said.