A Criminal is a Criminal: Pastor Dorcas Rigathi Calls for Prosecution of Paul Mackenzie

Second Lady Pastor Dorcas Rigathi has called for the prosecution of controversial preacher Paul Mackenzie, who is accused of manipulating his followers to fast to death.

Speaking during a feeding program for widows at the House of Grace Church Nairobi on Thursday, Pastor Dorcas noted that Kenya is governed by the constitution and that criminals should be dealt with in accordance with the law.

“If Paul Mackenzie is a criminal, he should be treated as an individual. Even his family should not be part of his crime. Paul Mackenzie is not the church, in fact, he has said he is not a pastor but he is Mr Paul,” she said.

“We have a law where when somebody is a criminal the procedure should be followed, but we cannot stand there and say because one Christian has been caught in a compromising situation, the whole body of Christ should be condemned; No, we must stop that, because it is not right.”

Pastor Dorcas, who is Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s wife, also cautioned Kenyans against victimizing the entire Church when one rogue cleric violates the law, stating that such leaders should individually be held accountable for their actions.

“A criminal is a criminal, a terrorist is a terrorist, a murderer is a murderer. Let them be taken through the law and be prosecuted...if they are guilty, let them be put behind bars,” she noted.

She added: “We cannot generalize acts of criminalism; there are billions of Christians worldwide, we cannot now say that all Christians are killers or terrorists. Likewise, just like you hear a Muslim extremist has come up and he is a terrorist, you cannot generalize and say all Muslims are terrorists.”

Mackenzie, who heads the Good News International Church, is accused of instructing his followers to fast to death in order to meet Jesus before burying them in shallow graves spread across his 800-acre land in Shakahola, Kilifi County.  

So far, 103 bodies of adults and children have been exhumed from shallow graves on the land.