Kenyan cult leader faces 191 murder charges in child mass starvation deaths
A Kenyan judge on Wednesday ordered cult leader Paul Mackenzie and 30 associates to undergo mental health evaluations before being charged with the murder of 191 children whose bodies have been exhumed since last April from the Shakahola forest.
![Kenyan cult leader faces 191 murder charges in child mass starvation deaths](https://i.cbc.ca/1.7086088.1705493854!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/16x9_620/1931712459.jpg)
![Self-proclaimed pastor Paul Nthenge Mackenzie gestures while talking to other defendants as he appears at Malindi Law Courts in Malindi on January 17, 2024. A Kenyan court on January 17, 2024 gave prosecutors two more weeks to conduct mental health assessments of a cult leader and 30 suspected accomplices before charging them with murder over the deaths of more than 400 followers. Paul Nthenge Mackenzie is alleged to have incited his acolytes to starve to death in order to "meet Jesus" in a case that shocked the world. A clean-shaven, dark-skinned man in a striped collared shirt is seen gesturing in a closeup photo.](https://i.cbc.ca/1.7086088.1705493854!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/16x9_620/1931712459.jpg)
A Kenyan judge on Wednesday ordered cult leader Paul Mackenzie and 30 associates to undergo mental health evaluations before being charged with the murder of 191 children whose bodies have been exhumed since last April from the Shakahola forest.