Court Suspends Deregistration Of Pastor Ezekiel's Church
The court allowed the church which boasts over 5,000 followers to continue to operate, which is a win for the televangelist.
admin
The High Court has suspended a decision by the Registrar of Societies to cancel the registration of Pastor Ezekiel Odero's New Life International Church.
The court allowed the church which boasts over 5,000 followers to continue to operate, which is a win for the televangelist.
Justice Jairus Ngash ruled that pending the interrogation by the court of the question of whether the process leading to the deregistration of New Life Prayer Center and church was consistent with the law of the land and in particular whether it was legal, rational and procedural fair to the church.
A court gavel. /TWITTER
The Judge further ruled that the gazette notice of August 18, 2023, remains suspended pending further directions from the court.
The suspension comes after Pastor Ezekiel, through his lawyers, moved to the High Court to compel the Attorney General to address the matter within 90 days, from Friday, August 18.
Speaking to the media immediately after filing the application, lawyer Danstan Omari revealed that the Kilifi-based televangelist wants the State to re-register the church and be barred from meddling with its operations.
"It's suspicious. It's a clear manifestation against Pastor Ezekiel. Notices to close have never been served. No notice to show cause has been issued as provided by the rules as required by the constitution," Omari alleged.
He added that the move by the Registrar was done in bad faith since it stops him from holding a conference that was scheduled for Saturday, August 19.
The conference dubbed 'Meza ya Bwana' was to run for the next 14 days with over 100,000 people expected to attend on a daily basis.
Omari further lamented that they have also been trying to access the registration file in a bid to file returns but their efforts have been in vain.
"Numerous letters have been written to the Registrar but it has proven to be a difficult task to get the file," added Omari, who noted that the church remains open to its followers by virtue of the filing of the appeal.
Highlighting what they suspected was pure mischief, the Lawyers claimed that the Gazette Notice was issued on Friday yet the church was purported to have been deregistered in May 2023.
They also claimed that the State was annoyed by a suit in which Pastor Ezekiel is demanding compensation in millions of shillings following his arrest and detention.
The Kilifi-based centre was among five other churches whose registrations were revoked in an effort to crack down on religious institutions. Pastor Ezekiel has been in the headlines for links to money laundering and cults.
