MOMBASA, Kenya, Jan 18 – Shakahola cult leader Paul Mackenzie, a self-proclaimed pastor and leader of a cult responsible for the deaths of over 400 followers, has been charged with terrorism,
He was arraigned with 94 other suspects who all denied the charges of radicalisation.
They appeared before Shanzu Senior Principal Magistrate Joe Omido who remanded them until February 6 when their bail application will be heard.
Mackenzie is accused of inciting his followers to starve to death to “meet Jesus”.
429 bodies, including of young children, were dug out of shallow graves in Shakahola forest in the Kenyan coast since mid-last year, leading to the arrest of the cult leader and his co-accused persons.
Earlier on Wednesday, Mackenzie and 30 of the suspects were arraigned before a Malindi High Court to face murder charges but they could not plead until a mental assessment is carried out on them.
The prosecution told the court that it needed 14 days to conclude the mental examination of the accused persons. Malindi Lady Justice Thande Mugure granted the period and ordered they be taken back to court on February 6, 2023 to plead.
The prosecution has indicated it will also bring up charges for child cruelty and torture next week.
Mackenzie’s pre-trial detention in Mombasa was extended several times as the prosecution investigated the case. However, a court warned last week that it would release the former taxi driver unless charges were filed within 14 days.
In 2019, Mackenzie was accused of links to the deaths of two children believed to have been starved, suffocated, and buried in a shallow grave in the Shakahola forest. He was released on bail pending the ongoing trial.
