Drama in court as Paul Makenzi accuses police of mistreatment

Controversial cult leader Paul Mackenzie Nthenge at the Malindi Chief Magistrates Court. [Nehemiah Okwembah, Standard].

There was drama at the Malindi law courts after Paul Nthenge Makenzi protested the treatment he was being accorded.

It all started when the accused persons were driven to the court premises in a Kenya Prisons bus, all his 29 co accused were allowed to alight and escorted to the court holding cells while Mackenzie remained in the vehicle.

For more than 30 minutes Mackenzie remained alone at the back of the heavily guarded bus while handcuffed not knowing what to do.

He was later allowed to alight the vehicle and escorted to the high court room where he met his co accused who had been brought earlier.

His effort to talk to two female co accused were thwarted by prison officers who sat in between them hence blocking any access.

It is at that point that Mackenzie started shouting to the officers claiming that they were infringing his human rights.

"Mimi nataka kuongea na co accused na mnanizuiya. Nizuieni prison, nizuieni kwa gari lakini msinizuie kortini. I have a right to talk to my co accused. Nyinyi ni mapepo," quipped Mackenzie as the officers continued to block him.

He even tried to move to where the women were but he was repulsed by the officers who were later instructed to remove the women from the dock to the court benches.

Surprisingly, all his co accused had their handcuffs removed but he remained chained.

"You've even removed their handcuffs but you don't want to remove mine. This is pure discrimination and violation of my rights, he said.

Efforts by some DPP officers to intervene were unsuccessful as they also faced the wrath of Mackenzie.

He also protested over the way he was being treated even in court where all his co accused had their handcuffs removed while he stayed with his.

The sitting arrangement in court has isolated him from the rest of the Co accused.

Mackenzie and his co accused are facing 191 murder charges before Lady Justice Mugure Thande.