In the aftermath of an extension of his stay in prison, Kenyan cult leader Paul Mackenzie has been given the longest pre-charge court-approved detention in the nation's history, according to a judge.

More than three months have passed since Mr. Mackenzie was taken into custody. The court gave the state permission to hold him and his alleged collaborators for a further 47 days on Thursday.

Magistrate Yusuf Shikanda gave his judgement in court in Mombasa, a seaside city, and noted that the case's complexity and rarity made the severe conclusion necessary.

“This has to be the longest pre-charge detention sanctioned by the court in the history of Kenya,” he said.

He added: “The Shakahola saga is one of a kind. It has caused great social panic both nationally and internationally”.

Mr. Mackenzie has been under arrest under suspicion of leading a starvation cult that resulted in the deaths of 427 members of his church.

Nonetheless, the death toll is anticipated to increase due to ongoing efforts by the Kenyan government to unearth bodies from the coastal Shakahola Forest, which served as the cult's concealed base.

The prosecution has asserted the necessity of extending the detention, as formal charges cannot be filed until the government completes the process of exhuming bodies and carrying out DNA tests to confirm their identities.

Additionally, the prosecution argued that keeping the suspects in custody would prevent them from communicating with the 65 individuals rescued from the cult. Furthermore, this measure is intended to safeguard the suspects from the potential threat of mob violence.

While in detention, Mr. Mackenzie has continuously proclaimed his innocence in relation to the deaths, maintaining that his sole wrongdoing is eating during his time in custody.