The self-proclaimed pastor faces charges of murder, child torture and terrorism after deaths of over 400 people.

The leader of a Kenyan starvation sect has gone on trial for manslaughter over the deaths of more than 400 of his followers in one of the world’s worst cult-related tragedies.

Paul Mackenzie, head of the Good News International Church, is currently facing charges of murder, child torture and “terrorism” after last April’s discovery of hundreds of bodies of his followers who had starved to death on his instructions.

In January, Mackenzie pleaded not guilty to multiple counts of manslaughter. But prosecutors have said the cases will be charged under a Kenyan law dealing with suicide pacts.

On Monday, the self-proclaimed pastor appeared in a magistrate’s court in the port city of Mombasa along with more than 90 other suspects, prosecutors and court officials said.

Reporting from Mombasa, Al Jazeera’s Stefanie Dekker said Mackenzie looked frail and thinner than usual in court, but was still a man “portraying that he was in charge to his followers”.

“He [Mackenzie] is at the helm of all of these charges in a case that has also raised questions on accountability on self-appointing pastors and healing men in a country that is deeply religious,” Dekker said.

Prosecutor Alexander Jami Yamina told the AFP news agency that “there has never been a manslaughter case like this in Kenya” and that he believed it would prove to be “very unique”.

At least 420 witnesses

With the hearing scheduled to run for four days until Thursday, at least 420 witnesses have been prepared by the prosecutors.

Some of the witnesses will also present testimonies in camera.

The suspects, 55 men and 40 women, went on trial last month on charges of “terrorism” over the massacre in Shakahola, and also face separate cases of murder, child torture and cruelty relating to the deaths, which prosecutors say occurred in 2020-2023.

In March of this year, the authorities began releasing some victims’ bodies to distraught relatives after months of painstaking work to identify them using DNA. So far, 34 have been returned.

Meanwhile, the grisly case has led the government of Kenya to flag the need for tighter control of fringe denominations. Separate reports by the Senate of Kenya and a state-funded human rights watchdog have also said the authorities could have prevented the deaths.

So far, President William Ruto has set up a commission to investigate the deaths and review regulations governing religious bodies. The commission presented its report last month, and urged for a hybrid model of self-regulation and government oversight.