One of Kenya’s most influential pastors, arrested Thursday, April 27, is accused of the “mass murder of his followers”, a new religious scandal in a few days in the country still shaken by the death of nearly a hundred followers of another “church”.
Ezekiel Odero, head of the New Life Prayer Center and Church, “has been arrested and faces criminal charges in connection with the mass murder of his worshippers,” the Minister of Justice said. inside, Kithure Kindiki, in a statement. “Said church has been closed. The more than one hundred people who were locked in the premises were evacuated,” the minister added.
The prefect of the coastal region, Rhoda Onyancha, announced Thursday morning his arrest in the city of Malindi. Ezekiel Odero, all dressed in white, Bible in hand, was transferred to the regional police headquarters in Mombasa. The well-to-do televangelist usually draws crowds to his church, which seats some 40,000 people south of Malindi. According to him, scraps of “sacred” cloth sold at his gatherings can cure illnesses.
The arrest comes as authorities announced measures against “unacceptable” cults, branded as “terrorists”, after the discovery of dozens of bodies of followers of another sect, the International Church of Good News (Good News). News International Church), which shocked the East African country.
“Sleazy and unacceptable ideologies”
A total of 98 people – the majority of them children – died after following the precepts of “Pastor” Paul Mackenzie Nthengue, who preached extreme fasting as a way to meet Jesus. Investigators fear finding new victims during the search for mass graves that continues in the Shakahola forest, some 80 kilometers west of Malindi.
Police have made no connection between the arrest of Ezekiel Odero and Paul Mackenzie Nthenge, who is currently in custody. At least 22 people were arrested in what has come to be known as the “Shakahola Massacre”. Prosecutions for “terrorism” are being considered against Paul Mackenzie Nthenge, Mr. Kindiki said on Tuesday.
Kenyan President William Ruto, who likened Mr Nthenge to a “terrorist”, promised action against self-proclaimed pastors who want to use religion to promote “shady and unacceptable ideologies”. This case also raised many questions about the flaws of the police and judicial authorities, who had known the “pastor” for several years.
He was first arrested in 2017 on charges of “radicalization” for advocating against sending children to school, saying education was not recognized in the Bible. He was arrested again in March, after two starving children were killed by their sect-linked parents. He had dismissed the charges and was released on bail of 100,000 Kenyan shillings (about 670 euros). There are over 4,000 churches in Kenya, a country of some 50 million people.
