Kenya Psychiatric Association now want the government to have Shakahola survivors rehabilitated and reintegrated into the community.
KPA President Boniface Chitayi has called on the government to boost mental health support services for the Shakahola survivors, their relatives and those who lost their loved ones.
He added that the mental health support should also be extended to the professionals involved in the rescue, exhumations, and reporting.
Moreover, KPA has blamed the state for pressing charges against the survivors, noting that they do not bear actual responsibility for the atrocities committed at Shakahola and hence should not be punished.
“We understand the role of hopeless people who join these sects. We continue to monitor ongoing investigations into the sect’s activities and await the outcome,” Chitayi said.
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“We understand that human beings can be misled within a group under a charismatic leader to behave in a way that defies cultural norms such as harming oneself and others,” he stated.
The statement by KPA boss comes after Shanzu magistrate court on Thursday last week directed that 64 followers of the controversial preacher, Paul Mackenzie who staged a hunger strike be taken to a rescue center in Kilifi.
The Shakahola survivors were rescued from the forest with some in critical condition with signs of starvation. They were taken for treatment and rescue centers afterwards.
