– / AFP
Already prosecuted for “terrorism”, “atrocity”, “cruelty” and “involuntary manslaughter”, Paul Nethang McKenzie will be tried for the murder of 191 followers of his evangelical sect.
A Kenyan court added the charges on Tuesday “murder” for that “terrorism”, “Torture” And “cruelty” Also on children“homicide” After the death of 429 followers of his evangelical sect, pastor Paul Nethenge was already engaged against Mackenzie. This time he will be tried for 191 murders.
The self-proclaimed priest and 29 other defendants pleaded not guilty, an AFP journalist noted, during their appearance in court in the city of Malindi, ten months after the revelations of the episode, which shocked Kenya, a predominantly religious country. East African Christians. After a psychiatric evaluation, the individual was determined to be mentally unfit to prosecute.
The “The Shakahola Massacre”
Paul Nanteng McKenzie had already pleaded not guilty to previous charges against him, including “Aiding and abetting the commission of a terrorist act”, “Possession of article in connection with offense under Prevention of Terrorism Act”, “Participation in Organized Criminal Activity” And “fundamentalism” Formally pronounced on 18 January“homicide” On 23 January and that “Torture” And “cruelty” On January 25 children.
The former taxi driver turned pastor has been in pre-trial detention since April 14, the day after the discovery of the first victims in the Shakahola forest (southeast of Kenya), where he founded the International Church of Good News in 2010. He advocated. To make his followers fast unto death “Meet Jesus” Before the end of the world which he predicted for August 2023. “bush” From the coast of Kenya, it was possible to exhume 429 bodies, some of which had been buried for many years. Autopsies revealed that most of the victims had died of starvation. Some, including children, were strangled, beaten or suffocated.
Revelation of this scandal, baptism “The Shakahola Massacre”, Kenyan authorities came under fire for not stopping the priest’s actions, despite being arrested several times for his extreme preaching. A Senate committee pointed this out in a report published in October “failures” Justice and Police, Alert in 2017 and 2019. In July, Home Affairs Minister Kithure Kindiki estimated “The Shakahola massacre (was) the worst security breach in history”. From Kenya.
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