Aston Lukoye
The Mombasa High Court on Wednesday 5 directed the National Police Service to reopen the New Life International Church belonging to televangelist Pastor Ezekiel Odera immediately.
The controversial pastor was represented by lawyers Danstan Omari and Cliff Ombata who asked the court to intervene in the state’s direction to disrupt religious activities in the church.
Omari had petitioned the court to stop the state from acquiring access to Pastor Ezekiel’s bank accounts with the goal of freezing them, alleging that the government was frustrating the troubled pastor and his ministry.
“Unless this court intervenes, the respondents will continue issuing illegal directives to not only frustrate the applicant herein but also threaten the very existence of New Life Prayer Center and Church and the projects currently underway,” Omari said.
“Though the allegations against the applicant are unsubstantiated, scandalous and untrue, there has been an increasing extra-judicial interference by the respondents who currently threaten to freeze the church bank accounts, and to unreasonably deny the applicant and his congregation his freedom to religion as decreed under the Constitution,” Omari added.
Pastor Ezekiel was detained by authorities on Thursday, April 27. He was accused with terrorism, indoctrinating the faithful, and other offenses relating to mass killings.
According to the Coast Regional commander Rhodha Onyancha, Pastor Ezekiel was accused of concealing bodies in his church and secretly burying them at Pastor Mackenzie’s farm at Shakahola. His church, The New Life International Church located on the country’s Indian Ocean coast was also closed down.
According to the police and morgue attendants, they have been collecting bodies at the church premises in Kilifi County. This move comes with the wake of investigations into a religious cult linked to the deaths of more than 100 people.
Pastor Ezekiel was arraigned in court in Shanzu on Friday morning, April 28, with police requesting the court to detain him for 30 days. Shanzu Senior Principle Magistrate Joe Omindo in his ruling on Tuesday, May 2 declined the request, stating that police officers would detail Pastor Ezekiel until Thursday, May 4, 2023.
