Plans for a memorial park in Shakahola underway

Kilifi MCAs said they are drafting a Motion that will see the county allocate money for the park.

In Summary
  • The park will borrow heavily from the Kigali Genocide Memorial, the final resting place for 250,000 victims of the genocide against the Tutsi.

  • Ganze MCA Karisa Ngirani said they plan to visit Rwanda to learn from the EAC country.

Detectives conducting exhumation of bodies in Shakahola forest.
Detectives conducting exhumation of bodies in Shakahola forest.
Image: FILE

Plans are underway to build a memorial park in Shakahola in remembrance of the more than 400 people who died.

The park will borrow heavily from the Kigali Genocide Memorial, the final resting place for 250,000 victims of the genocide against the Tutsi.

Appearing before the Senate Adhoc Committee investigating the deaths of followers of Pastor Paul Mckenzie, Kilifi MCAs said they are drafting a Motion that will see the county allocate money for the park.

Ganze MCA Karisa Ngirani who is the chair of an Adhoc Committee of the county assembly also probing the deaths, said they plan to visit Rwanda to learn from the EAC country.

"We need a memorial park where we will have the names of those who died there. It will also be a place where we will bury the people who could not be identified or were rejected by the families," he stated.

The Senate Adhoc Committee chair Danson Mungatana said the park should be a reminder to Kilifi residents and the entire country that such an incident should never occur again.

"It should be a place for prayer for the departed souls. It should be a constant reminder of what happened," the Tana River Senator said.

Mungatana said the park could be a top destination for tourists visiting Kilifi.

"Apart from going to the beach, tourists could also visit the area," he explained.

He added that the area might also be frequented by churches and bible colleges.

A draft report by the Kilifi County Assembly Adhoc Committee presented to senators recommends action against all government officials whose acts or omissions aided in the deaths.

The committee has also recommended that government comes up with a regulatory body to oversee the registration and conduct of religious institutions. 

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