Pastor Mackenzie's Wife Set Free
During the hearing, the court however allowed the prosecution 60 days to detain Mackenzie and his co-accused, pending further investigations.
Marvin Chege 
The wife of self-proclaimed spiritual leader, Paul Mackenzie, Rhoda Mumbua Maweu, has been released on a Ksh100,000 bond.
She was released on Monday, July 3 by Shanzu law court in Mombasa on an additional Ksh500,000 surety bond after spending 62 days in police custody since her arrest on Monday night, May 1.
Shanzu Senior Principal Magistrate Yusuf Shikanda ruled that the state failed to produce sufficient evidence on why she was being held alongside her husband and 28 others linked to the Shakahola massacre.
Rhoda Mumbua (left) and her husband Paul Mackenzie (right) during a previous court session. /CITIZEN DIGITAL
She was however released on condition that she attends all court sessions as well as avail herself when summoned to any police station over the investigation should she be required.
During the hearing, the court however allowed the prosecution 60 days to detain Mackenzie and his co-accused, pending further investigations.
In total, there are 30 suspects in custody but 11 will be in custody for three days while the rest including Mackenzie will remain in for a month to enable police to conclude investigations. One suspect died in custody two weeks ago.
Mumbua was arrested on Monday night, May 1 alongside her aunt from a hideout in Mtwapa, Kilifi County according to police sources, where she had fled to since investigations began.
Investigations revealed that Mumbua was working as a "human resource manager" in one of the key operations of Mackenzie's church and playing a significant role in recruiting members to the cult as well as managing its financial operations.
The ongoing investigations also linked Mackenzie to several incriminating messages found on his phone, exchanged with his wife in a series of events culminating in the pastor's arrest on April 15, 2023.
Police had been reviewing Mackenzie's phone records and interviewed individuals connected to the church when Mumbua's name came up as a person of interest during the review of the phone records.
Mackenzie, who managed to keep his private life reclusive from the limelight, married Mumbua after the death of his second wife in 2017.
At the time, Mackenzie's second wife left behind four children. Mackenzie's first wife, however, died in 2009 and left behind two children.
Mackenzie's church, which is based in Kilifi, has been at the centre of police scrutiny for several months after members were found dead from starvation. The cult's teachings included skewed and extreme religious practices, coupled with fear of the unknown.
The self-styled spiritual leader has been accused of manipulating his followers, leading them to their deaths in pursuit of salvation. One of his followers reportedly died in police custody on Tuesday, June 21.
Senior Principal Prosecution Counsel Yamina Jamii revealed to the court that the aide, identified as Joseph Juma Buyuka, died two days prior while receiving treatment at the hospital.
