
39 out of 95 Shakahola massacre suspects will be arraigned before the Tononoka Children’s court on Thursday.
The 39 suspects among them the controversial Good News International Church Preacher Paul Mackenzie will be charged with subjecting children to torture contrary to the Children Act, 2022 as read in sections of the Prevention of Torture Act of 2017.
The Shakahola massacre suspects will also face more charges of assault causing bodily harm to minors.
Other charges in the line-up leveled against the 39 suspects include those of cruelty to children contrary to the childrens Act, 2022.
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (ODPP) has also added more charge of infringing a child’s right to education contrary to the provisions of the Basic Education Act, 2013.
The prosecution team include Deputy DPP Victor Mule, Senior Assistant DPP, Peter Kiprop, Principal Prosecution Counsels Jami Yamina, Alex Gituma, Betty Rubia, Victor Owiti and Prosecution Counsels Victor Simbi and Eunice Odongo.
The fresh charges at the Tononoka Childrens’ court on Thursday come barely a day after Mackenzie, his wife Rhoda Mumbua and 93 other suspects faced a total of 238 counts of murder at the Mombasa court on Tuesday, a case that took more than four hours for the charges to be read to the Shakahola massacre suspects.
Pastor Mackenzie and his accomplices are linked to the death of 400 people among them children at the Shakahola forest in Magarini, Kilifi county.