Mackenzie and thirty others will have psychiatric examinations in the high court

Paul Nthenge Mackenzie and thirty other individuals have been directed by the Malindi High Court to undergo a mental assessment within 14 days before the commencement of their murder trial.

Mackenzie and his co-accused have been in custody, accused of orchestrating the Shakahola massacre. The suspects have been held in Shimo Latewa, Kilifi, and Malindi prisons during the ongoing investigations.

The pastor and his fellow accused are facing five charges and ten counts related to murder, torture, assault, slaughter, and terrorism.

High Court Judge Thade Mugure has mandated that the suspects undergo a 14-day psychiatric evaluation. The court has also ruled that a bail hearing will be postponed until the accused can enter a plea.

The suspects will appear before the Mombasa, Shanzu, and Tononoka courts for separate hearings, scheduled to commence on February 6th of this year.

This decision comes in the wake of a court warning that it might release the preacher, emphasizing the need to bring the prolonged legal process to a conclusion.

The head of the Good News International Ministries religious doctrine and his co-accused were apprehended in connection with the deaths of over four hundred people associated with the religious doctrine.

Mackenzie, however, is serving a one-year sentence for operating a television station and engaging in filming activities without proper licensing.

The massacre came to light in the early weeks of April when a man reported to the police that his wife and daughter, who had joined the ministry in Kilifi County, did not return. Subsequent investigations uncovered shallow graves and emaciated individuals.

As a result of these revelations, an inquiry was initiated, and the pastor was identified as the mastermind, with congregation members stating that he ordered them to starve themselves for ‘redemption.’ Investigations have been ongoing since then.