Kenyan sect leader charged in the deaths of 191 children

A doomsday cult leader, according to Kenyan authorities ordered his congregants to starve themselves was charged Tuesday, along with 29 others, with the murders of 191 children — in a case that has attracted global attention and sparked widespread criticism of religious freedoms in the East African country.

The decision by a court in the coastal town of Malindi was handed down almost a month after a judge ordered that the sect leader, Paul Nthenge Mackenzie, and his co-defendants undergo mental health evaluations before any charges are filed.

Only one of the suspects was deemed mentally unfit to stand trial. Mr Mackenzie, a minister, and the other accused pleaded not guilty and are expected to appear in court in early March.

Since last April, hundreds of bodies have been dug up from the 800-hectare Shakahola Forest where Mr Mackenzie and his followers lived, many of them buried in shallow graves. Dozens of other followers have been savedand local officials say hundreds are still missing.

This was said by the Minister of the Interior, Kithure Kindiki, last week declared the parsonage churchGood News International Ministries, “an organized criminal group.”