William Ruto's spokesman, said he had set up a commission to investigate the deaths of more than 100 people believed to be followers of a religious sect whose leader ordered them to refrain from eating until death.
According to the authorities, the victims were followers of a sect calling itself Good News International Church. She said cult leader Paul Nthenge McKenzie predicted that the world would end on April 15 and instructed his followers to kill themselves to become the first to enter heaven.
The bodies of these victims were found in what has become known as the "Chakahola Forest massacre" but could rise, in one of the worst cult-related disasters in modern history.
The discovery of the mass grave last month in a forest near the Indian Ocean port town of Malindi has sent shockwaves through the predominantly Christian country.
He appeared in Malindi's court as Pastor Mackenzie, who founded Good News Church in 2003 and is accused of inciting his followers to starve to death to "meet Jesus."
The hall was filled with relatives of the victims, while six police officers took McKenzie and 6 other defendants.
To date, a total of 111 people have been confirmed dead, the majority of them children. The first autopsies were carried out on Monday on the bodies of nine children and a woman.
Autopsies confirmed that the cause of death was starvation, although some of the victims died of suffocation, according to authorities.
Charges of terrorism, kidnapping and cruelty
After a brief hearing, the case was transferred to the High Court in Mombasa, Kenya's second-largest city, where the suspects will face terrorism charges, prosecutor Vivian Kambaga told AFP.
"There is a court (in Mombasa) that is empowered to hear cases listed under the Prevention of Terrorism Act," she told the court in Malindi. She demanded that the case be taken to the Supreme Court.
In addition to terrorism charges, McKenzie will face charges of murder, kidnapping and cruel treatment of children, among other crimes, according to court documents.
Wealthy pastor Ezekiel Odero, known for his televised speeches, also appeared in court in Mombasa following his arrest last Thursday.
Audero is suspected of committing murder, aiding suicide, kidnapping, extremism, crimes against humanity, child abuse, fraud and money laundering.
The prosecution cites credible information linking the bodies found in Chakahola to the deaths of several "innocent and vulnerable followers" from the New Life church he founded.
Another lawyer for Pastor Odero, Cliff Umbetta, confirmed to reporters on Tuesday that there was no evidence linking him to the bodies in Chakahola. "Evidence must be provided. This is a case that needs to be proved."
A number of his supporters gathered in front of the court, singing and praying and some of them filled with tears.
McKenzie, a former taxi driver, turned himself in on April 14 after police headed to Chakahola Forest, where 30 mass graves were found.
Prosecutors confirm a link between Audero and McKenzie, saying in court documents that the two share a "history of business investments", including a television station used to broadcast "extremist messages" aimed at their followers.
Criticism
Questions have arisen about how McKenzie, who has a record of "extremism", managed to evade the security forces despite his fame and previous legal cases against him.
Some parliamentarians have criticized the security services, accusing them of inaction for failing to prevent what happened in the Chakahola forest, especially after McKenzie was arrested earlier this year on suspicion of killing two children by starving and strangling them, before being released on bail.
Two lawyers defending him declined to comment. McKenzie and 17 co-defendants will appear in a court in the coastal city of Mombasa on Friday.
McKenzie, who is in police custody, has not commented publicly on the charges against him. Nor did he claim to defend himself against any criminal charge.