Chiloba Blocks Pastor Mackenzie, Ezekiel TV Stations Over 31 Violations
Chiloba revealed that the two stations had violated broadcasting standards requirements and conditions issued to them before they acquired their licenses...
Marvin Chege 
Communications Authority (CA) Director General, Ezra Chiloba has suspended World Evangelism TV and Times TV stations from broadcasting in Kenya.
According to Chiloba in a statement on Friday, April 28, Evangelism TV was associated with Pastor Ezekiel Odera and was registered under New Life Communications Limited.
The CA boss also associated Times TV, registered under Good News Media Kenya Limited, with Pastor Paul Mackenzie.
Side-by-side image of Pastor Ezekiel Odero and Paul Mackenzie. /VIRALTEAKE
Chiloba revealed that the two stations had violated broadcasting standards requirements and conditions issued to them before they acquired their licenses and directed for their suspension with immediate effect.
"Following an extensive review of content aired by the two stations between January – April 2023, the Authority established that the TV stations violated broadcasting standards requirements and license conditions.
"World Evangelism TV was found to have aired inappropriate content on exorcism during the watershed period as well as 12 other violations. Similarly, Times TV aired inappropriate content on exorcism and flouted 17 other broadcasting license conditions," CA stated in part.
The Authority further directed the broadcast signal distributor, Pan African Network Group (PANG) Limited, to cease carrying the two stations on its platform until further notice.
Both Pastor Ezekiel and Mackenzie are under investigation for the Shakahola tragedy in Kilifi County. They were both apprehended in connection to the massacre, which has seen 110 bodies exhumed from the 800-acre piece of land belonging to Pastor Mackenzie by the time of publishing.
Pastor Ezekiel Odero was arrested on Thursday, April 27 in Mombasa on suspicion of being controversial Pastor Paul Mackenzie's accomplice in the Shakahola massacre, with Mackenzie being treated as the main suspect of the massacre.
Later on, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki announced that the pastor would face criminal charges with regard to the mass killing of his followers. He was arraigned in court in Shanzu on Friday morning, April 28, with police requesting the court to detain him for 30 days.
Mackenzie was arrested on Saturday, April 15, after bodies believed to be his followers were exhumed from shallow graves in Shakahola. Preliminary reports indicated that the pastor duped his followers to fast to death.
Detectives investigating the massacre revealed that they had credible evidence that some people who died at Pastor Ezekiel's church were buried in the piece of land belonging to Mackenzie.
Kindiki vowed to crack down on religious extremism in the country and began by announcing a massive reshuffle of all police bosses in Kilifi County.
