Suspected Kenyan cult leader Paul Mackenzie, who was arrested on April 15, 2023, after 429 corpses were discovered in mass graves in a remote forest, will be charged with murder and terrorism.

According to the BBC, prosecutors in the country stated that Mr Mackenzie, the pastor of Good News International Church, will be charged in court in Malindi on Wednesday along with 94 others.

Mr Mackenzie allegedly asked his congregation to move to the site and prepare for the end of the world. A witness also confirmed to the BBC that last January, the victims were directed to start fasting so they could “get to heaven”.

However, the over 400 corpses, which included children, were later dug up from the grave sites in Shakahola, located about a two-hour drive west of Malindi. 

While some of the dead bodies showed signs that they starved themselves to death, some children among them seemed to have been assaulted.

The church leader, however, denied being responsible for their deaths, insisting that he had closed down his church in 2019.

An extension of his time in custody has been requested several times after investigators revealed in a statement from the director of public prosecutions that they had enough evidence to charge him and the others for murder, assault, “facilitating the commission of a terrorist act”, and “subjecting a child to torture.”