The 191 kids have been among the many 425 victims discovered within the Shakahola forest on the Kenyan coast final yr.
Kenyan cult chief Paul NthengeMackenzie and 29 associates have been charged Tuesday with the homicide of 191 kids whose our bodies have been discovered amongst tons of of individuals buried in a forest.
All of the accused have denied the costs introduced earlier than a courtroom within the coastal metropolis of Malindi close to the Indian Ocean. One suspect was discovered mentally unfit to face trial and was ordered to return to the Malindi Excessive Court docket inside a month.
Prosecutors mentioned Mackenzie ordered his followers to starve themselves and starve themselves to dying so they may go to heaven earlier than the world ends, in one of many world's worst cult-related disasters in latest historical past.
The previous taxi driver turned self-proclaimed pastor has already been charged with “terrorism”, hoax homicide in addition to little one torture and cruelty. He was arrested in April final yr after the our bodies have been discovered within the Shakahola forest.
Autopsies revealed that a lot of the 429 victims had died of hunger. However others, together with kids, appeared to have been strangled, overwhelmed or suffocated.
The case, dubbed the “Shakahola forest bloodbath”, led the federal government to sign the necessity for tighter management of fringe denominations.
A largely Christian nation, Kenya has struggled to control unscrupulous church buildings and cults that dabble in crime.
