A suspicion Kenya Cult Leader appeared in Court charged with the deaths of more than 400 people Peopleof which 191 Children.

End of the world Pastor Paul Mackenziewho founded the Good News International Church in the early 2000s, is accused of persuading hundreds of people to starve themselves in order to “get there.” Heaven“, said a former member of his sect.

The cult leader appeared in court on Wednesday along with dozens of his surviving followers murder And terrorismas well as “submit a child torture”.

A lawyer for Mackenzie claimed the self-proclaimed pastor was cooperating with the investigation, but said the cult leader denied the allegations.

Appears on Wednesday in a white and blue striped polo shirt, Mackenzie sat mostly expressionless along with his co-accused when Supreme Court Justice Mugure Thande immediately ordered that he and 30 other defendants undergo psychological evaluation. They will return to court on February 6.

More than 90 defendants were arrested last April after police rescued 15 emaciated church members from a remote area called Shakahola Forest in the coastal district of Kilifi, where Mackenzie is believed to have instructed his followers to stay.

Since then, at least 429 bodies have been found in the area and prosecutors have repeatedly had to ask the court in Kilifi, southwest Kenya, to investigate Permission to continue to detain the defendants as they search for more bodies.

Identifying the bodies also proves difficult. According to the prosecution’s indictment, the remains of 180 of the 191 dead children have yet to be identified, causing further delays.

Last week, Chief Judge Yousuf Shikanda rejected the prosecution’s recent request to detain the suspects for an additional 60 days, saying prosecutors had been given enough time to complete the investigation.

They responded by announcing they had enough evidence to charge Mackenzie and his followers, ending months of discord between the court and investigators.

Kenya’s top prosecutor then announced Monday that 95 people would be charged with murder, cruelty, child torture and other crimes.

People with knowledge of the cult’s activities said Mackenzie planned the mass starvation attacks in three phases, starting with the children, then the women and young men, and finally the remaining men.

Mackenzie, a former taxi driver, founded his Good News International Church in 2003. He repeatedly attracted police attention with his claims that children should not go to school and the argument that medical treatments such as vaccinations were satanic.

The cult leader was first arrested in 2017 and again in 2018 after claiming that education was “not recognized in the Bible.”

In December last year he was found guilty in a separate case of producing and distributing films without a license and sentenced to 12 months in prison.