Judgement day for Kenya pastor wey chop accuse say e order parents to starve dia children to death

Stephen Mwiti say im six children die for di forest

One Kenyan court don ready to deliver judgement for one mass murder case wey involve doomsday preacher Paul Mackenzie.

Mackenzie and 29 of im followers chop accuse for di murder of 191 children.

Im cult chop accuse say dem force children to starve to death so dem go fit "meet Jesus". Im doomsday doctrine say education bin dey forbidden and modern medicine bin dey considered "evil".

Mackenzie and di 29 odas don plead not guilty to murder, and dem repeatedly insist say dem no force anybodi to kpai.

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Mackenzie former head of security, Enos Amanya Ngala, bin initially chop accuse but e enta plea deal and become witness for di prosecution.

Mackenzie and oda leaders of di cult dey face a raft of oda legal cases, including for terrorism, extreme religious beliv and say e dey deny education to children.

But dis na di first time di pastor go face a verdict on di most serious charges of murder.

Authorities say dem find 400 bodies for shallow graves for Shakahola forest near di Kenyan coast, wia Mackenzie bin lead im followers from across di kontri.

Seventeen men bin dey hired from di nearby town for di horrifying task of digging up di shallow graves. Some receive payment of just $8 (£6) a day.

"Evri grave we find get at least three bodis," James, one of di gravediggers, tell di BBC. "Some of di remains na of children as young as a few weeks old."

"We once find 12 bodis of children for one line inside one grave. E bin dey massive, di bodis bin dey arranged like clothes. One on top of anoda."

Gravediggers say bodis of some of di children wey dem find, "dia hands and legs bin dey tied and dia bodis bin dey wrapped in bedsheets".

Although many of Mackenzie followers bin come from anoda area for Kenya, some of di deadibody na pipo wey di community pipo sabi sake of say di cult pipo dey go go di nearby Shakahola town for supplies and to fetch water from di River Galana wey dey pass through di town.

"We go carry pipo somtimes on our motorbikes enta forest," na wetin anoda gravedigger Salim Karisa tok.

"But dem dey plan am well and na secret wey nobody fit tok wetin dey hapun inside."

Stephen Mwiti, wey dey 48 years tok as e lose all im six children to di cult and e see "many bald women and tens of children" wey dey surround Mackenzie for im house wen im bin go confront am.

Mackenzie dey forbid make-up and hairstyles, so e bin tell women to shave dia hair or make dem leave make e scata.

Mwiti former wife na one of di pipo wey dem accuse alongside Mackenzie.

"If I bin meet Pastor Mackenzie today, one of us suppose to die," She tell di BBC.

"All six of my children die for di Shakahola forest," Mwiti tok, e look emotional as e hold photograph of im family. "I only see and bury di deadibody of my son Samuel."

"Dis little tin hia na wia all my misery start," Mwiti tok as im point to one TV wey dust don cover and cable box for im house for di coastal town of Malindi, 70km (43 miles) from Shakahola.

Na from di TV wey Mackenzie doctrine enta im house.

Di pastor bin establish Good News International Ministries for 2003. Ova di next 16 years, di church kon becom popular to draw thousands of followers wey dey attend oda branches across Kenya.

Im church bin run one television station wey dem call Times TV wey dey broadcast im sermons from im church for Malindi.

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