At least 41 Shakahola massacre survivors are likely to face murder, manslaughter, and other terror-related charges.
Shanzu Senior Principal Magistrate Joe Omido said investigations have revealed that 41 of the 65 people under investigation were involved in the mysterious deaths of children in the Shakahola massacre that has left at least 419 people dead.
The investigations against the others are still ongoing.
The 41 are either parents or grandparents of the missing children who are believed to be dead.
The court heard that the 41 left their homes for Shakahola with children aged one to fourteen, the whereabouts of whom they were unable to ascertain.
The 64 are being investigated for murder or manslaughter, attempted suicide, cruelty, and neglect toward children, failing to transport children to school, and failing to provide necessities without a legal excuse, as well as radicalization.
The court heard that the 28 women and 13 men were members of Good News International Church, which is affiliated with pastor Paul Makenzie.
The investigators also discovered that the majority of them used aliases to identify themselves.
Police filed an application requesting that the survivors of the Shakahola massacre be separated and detained at Shimo la Tewa prison.
He claimed that intense investigations had changed their status from victims to suspects.
Omido ordered that the 41 people detained at Shimo la Tewa’s male and female prisons be brought before the court on Tuesday for further instructions.
The magistrate stated that the investigators’ concern that the 41 might flee is reasonable given that they are now facing serious criminal charges.
The court will rule Tuesday on the application to withdraw an attempted suicide charge earlier pressed against the 41.
However, the attempted suicide charge will remain with the 24 victims until further investigations.
The group will remain at the Sahajanad Rescue Centre and will receive counseling, among other treatments.
Currently, the Kenya Defense Forces were on the ground opening up access roads within the 840-acre land to make the forest accessible.
The area has been cordoned off and declared a disturbed place.
Dozens more bodies are believed to be buried in shallow graves therein.
Mackenzie, who is in police custody, is being investigated for influencing his followers to starve to death to meet their maker.
Police also suspect that some of the victims did not starve to death and may have been killed and then buried on the property.
He has denied wrongdoing but has been refused bail.
He insists that he shut down his church in 2019.
The followers say he told them to starve themselves to “meet Jesus“.
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