Kenyan church leader Paul Mackenzie and 94 others were charged on Thursday with terrorism-related crimes relating to the deaths of 429 of his followers whose bodies had been excavated from the Shakahola forest.
The allegations, revealed during an appearance before a court in the southeastern city of Mombasa, are the first lodged against Mackenzie, who was arrested last April after the bodies began to be uncovered.
Mackenzie and his co-defendants rejected the charges during their appearance before the judge, Joe Omido. They are expected back in court on February 8 for a bond hearing.
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According to authorities, Mackenzie, the leader of the Good News International Church, urged his members to starve themselves and their children to death so that they may enter paradise before the world ended.
Mackenzie’s lawyer says the self-styled pastor is cooperating with the investigation that is still ongoing.
A judge in a different court, in the seaside town of Malindi, ruled on Wednesday that Mackenzie and 30 of his friends undergo mental health evaluations before being charged with murder in connection with 191 fatalities.
Prosecutors in Mombasa and Malindi say they would accuse the 95 persons of manslaughter and torture.
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