Prosecutors of Kenya announced on Tuesday that they intend accuse the leader of an evangelical sect and 94 other people of terrorism and murder for the death of 429 of his followers, whom he incited to die of hunger.
The self-proclaimed pastor Paul Nthenge Mackenzie He is accused of inciting his followers to starving to “find Jesus”in a case that shocked the world.
Mackenzie was arrested in April last year after bodies were found in a forest near the Indian Ocean coast. His preventive detention was extended several times throughout the investigation.
“After a thorough analysis of the evidence, the director of criminal proceedings is satisfied that there is sufficient evidence to prosecute 95 suspects,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement.
Last week, a court gave prosecutors 14 days to file charges against the former taxi driver or they would have to release him.
Mackenzie and the other defendants face 10 charges, including murder, manslaughter and terrorism.
They are also accused of “subjecting children to torture,” according to the prosecution.
It was not clear when the 95 defendants are due to appear in court, but prosecutors have indicated they intend to “prosecute the case expeditiously.”
Autopsies revealed that most of the victims died of starvation while others, including children, were reportedly strangled, beaten or suffocated.
To date, 429 bodies have been found.
The macabre findings led the government to raise the need to establish greater controls over religious denominations, in a country with a history of self-proclaimed pastors.
Kenya, a majority Christian country, has struggled to regulate churches and cults involved in crime.
There are more than 4,000 registered churches in the East African country of 53 million people, according to official figures.
Source: Ambito
