Pastor Ezekiel Allowed To Reopen His Church

Pastor Ezekiel Odero was on Tuesday, May 9 allowed to access his New Life Prayer Centre and Church in Kilifi County.

Mombasa Presiding Judge Olga Sewe granted the televangelist and his followers access to the church, overruling Coast Region Coordinator Rhoda Onyancha’s directive which suspended church activities.

Judge Sewe had directed that the services at the church should not be interfered with pending the determination of Pastor Ezekiel’s request to stop the freezing of his 16 bank accounts and reopen his TV station World Evangelism TV.

Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga touring Pastor Ezekiel Odero's home in Kilifi County alongside the televangelist, lawyer Cliff Ombeta and other Azimio politicians on May 6, 2023. /CLIFF OMBETA

The Milimani Chief Magistrate Court on Monday, May 8 issued an order freezing Pastor Ezekiel's bank accounts for 30 days.

This is after the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) moved to court to request permission to access the bank accounts and carry out investigations on money laundering claims and were allowed to scrutinise them.

Chief Inspector Martin Munene requested the court to probe the accounts, asserting that large sums of money suspected to be proceeds of illegal cash had been transferred into the accounts from victims who were allegedly radicalized to sell their properties.

"It is necessary and desirable to issue the applicant with a warrant to investigate books of bank and mobile money services accounts so as to authorize the officer to have access to books relating to several account numbers," the DCI told the court.

Pastor Ezekiel, who is under investigation over the Shakahola massacre, earlier petitioned the court to issue conservatory orders to reopen his church and TV station, alleging that the move to shut down his church and TV station was done illegally.

He accused the State of violating Article 47 of the Constitution as read in conjunction with Section 4 of the Fair Administrative Actions Act 2015, further claiming that both entities were shut down before he was charged in court.

The pastor further claimed that the Shakahola mass graves site whereby 133 bodies have been exhumed so far, is 200 kilometres from his New Life Church in Kilifi County.

He also termed the allegations levelled against him as devoid of any factual justification as the conclusions are based on premeditated events and investigations that have yet to be initiated or conducted.

Pastor Ezekiel added that shortly after his arrest, he received a letter from, Ezra Chiloba the Director General & CEO of the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA), communicating the authorities’ decision to temporarily suspend the operations/frequency of World Evangelism TV. 

CA had found that the station had violated broadcasting standards requirements and conditions issued to it before it acquired its license and directed for its suspension with immediate effect, alongside Times TV, registered under Good News Media Kenya Limited, associated with Pastor Paul Mackenzie.

Pastor Ezekiel on Sunday, May 7 made his comeback to the pulpit days after his release on a Ksh1.5 million cash bail or a Ksh3 million bond on Thursday, May 4.