FEATURED STORY

Pastor Ezekiel Moves to Protect Bank Accounts, TV Station

BUSINESS TODAYMay 4, 20231 Mins read833

Pastor Ezekiel Odero has been arrested over arrested over the alleged indoctrination of the public. [Photo/ NMG]

Coast Regional Commissioner Rhoda Onyancha during the arrest of the Ezekiel highlighted allegations of deaths occurring at his church.

Pastor Ezekiel Odero of New Life Church, Mavueni has moved to court to protect authorities from freezing eight bank accounts belonging to his church, with lenders including NCBA and Cooperative Bank. Odero, a popular televangelist, also wants his church reopened and his TV station allowed to resume broadcasting.

His church sits on a 65-acre piece of land in Kilifi, as the centrepiece of a city project being undertaken by Odero. New Life Church, which has a capacity of over 40,000 congregants, was closed by police following Ezekiel’s arrest last week.

A court in Mombasa certified as urgent the application by Odero for the State to reopen his New Life Prayer Centre and Church and for the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) to restore broadcast by his television channel.

Pending the hearing and determination of his application, Odero wants the court to issue a conservatory order directing the State to refrain from interfering with the religious activities or prayer sessions in the church.

Additionally, the Pastor wants temporary conservatory orders issued staying the Communication Authority of Kenya’s suspension of his television channel.

READ>Inside Pastor Ezekiel’s Mega-City Project in Kilifi

Coast Regional Commissioner Rhoda Onyancha during the arrest of the Ezekiel highlighted allegations of deaths occurring at his church. Detectives also claim Ezekiel conspired with Mackenzie to have bodies of some individuals who died in his church, secretly buried at Mackenzie’s Shakakhola farm.

Director-General Ezra Chiloba had confirmed the CA decision to suspend broadcasting by World Evangelism TV and Times TV, linked to televangelists Odero and Paul Mackenzie respectively. Paul Mackenzie, a pastor with radical teachings, was arrested after over 100 bodies were found buried on his land in Kilifi, with allegations that he led a cult in which members starved to death.

Chiloba explained that the two suspended stations were found to have aired inappropriate content on exorcism during the watershed period. CA noted that World Evangelism committed 12 other violations while Times TV flouted 17 broadcasting license conditions.

NEXT>Safaricom, KCB Launch Fuliza For Businesses