Pastor Paul Nthenge Mackenzie and 94 other people accused of terrorism and radicalization in Shakahola on Tuesday denied all 238 charges leveled against them by the government.
In a statement, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) said the 95 suspects were charged with 238 counts of manslaughter.
Appearing before the Mombasa Chief Magistrate Alex Thuku, they denied committing the offenses between January 2021 and September 2023 in the Shakahola area in Malindi, Kilifi County.
“They all pleaded not guilty to all the 238 counts of manslaughter before Chief Magistrate Alex Ithuku which were read to them for four and half hours,” the ODPP said.
Judge Thuku ordered that the accused come before the court on February 13, 2023, so that he could decide on bail and the conditions of the bond.
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After the prosecution requested to keep Mackenzie and his co-accused in custody until the end of their investigations, the two will stay in detention for the time being. They had been in remand for months.
The prosecution requested that the defendants' imprisonment be extended for a another 180 days, and the Shanzu court granted their request in late December.
But at the beginning of this month, Senior Principal Magistrate Shikanda gave the state 14 days to file charges against Mackenzie and his co-accused.
If that deadline was missed, the court would have to order the suspects' release on its own conditions.
Shikanda contended that enough time had passed since the initial bail application and that the ongoing investigations ought to have been finished.
She pointed out that the suspects had been detained for a record 117 days since the application for an extension of custodial orders was filed, and they had still not been charged.
