The head of a Kenya religious group accused of causing the deaths of over 400 followers stood trial on Monday for manslaughter, marking one of the worst cult-related tragedies globally.
In January, self-proclaimed pastor Paul Nthenge Mackenzie and several other suspects entered not-guilty pleas to numerous charges of manslaughter in connection with the “Shakahola Forest Massacre”.
Mackenzie, along with 94 other suspects, appeared in a magistrate’s court in the city of Mombasa.
“There has never been a manslaughter case like this in Kenya,” prosecutor Alexander Jami Yamina told AFP, adding that they will be charged under a Kenyan law dealing with suicide pacts.
The prosecutors have assembled at least 420 witnesses, and the hearing is expected to last four days.
Mackenzie is accused of encouraging his followers to refrain from eating to “meet Jesus,” a case that shocked people in Kenya and around the globe.
Last month, 55 men and 40 women stood trial for terrorism charges related to the Shakahola massacre. Additionally, they are facing separate cases of murder, child torture and cruelty for the deaths that prosecutors claimed took place from 2020 to 2023.
In April last year, Mackenzie was apprehended after several bodies were found in the secluded Shakahola forest located inland from the town of Malindi, near the Indian Ocean. Over 400 bodies have been retrieved from the mass graves. Over 400 bodies have been retrieved from the mass graves.