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In Kenya the authorities detained another pastor who would be related to the deaths of more than a hundred people who were urged to die of starvation due to the supposed end of the world that would occur on April 15. On April 14, pastor Paul Mackenzie was arrested, it is believed that more people were buried on his property.
Another Kenyan church pastor has been arrested for the alleged mass murder of his followers after mass graves were found, just days after a leader of the same cult was arrested for the same reason.
Home Minister Kithure Kindiki announced via his Twitter account that “Mr. Ezekiel Ombok Odero, Head of New Life Prayer Center/Church in Mavueni, within Malindi sub-county of Kilifi county, has been arrested. and is being arraigned to face criminal charges. Charges related to the mass murder of his followers.”
Kindiki said that the church was closed and that “the more than 100 people who were entrenched in the compound were evacuated and must take a statement.”
It is notified for information of the general public that today Thursday, 27th April 2023, Mr Ezekiel Ombok Odero the Head of New Life Prayer Centre/Church at Mavueni within Malindi Sub-County of Kilifi County has been arrested and is being prosecuted to face criminal charges… pic.twitter.com/78EHEoH08l
— Kithure Kindiki (@KindikiKithure) April 27, 2023
Odero, who was wearing a white robe and carrying a thick black book, did not answer reporters’ questions as he was led by a uniformed officer to the police station where he will be questioned overnight and is expected to appear in court on Friday.
Regional official Rhoda Onyancha said Odero’s arrest was related to “allegations of deaths that have been occurring at their facilities and reported in various morgues or institutions.”
Mackenzie, a pastor behind bars
Odero’s megachurch, New Life Prayer Center Church, is in Malindi County, about 40 miles from Shakahola Forest, where another pastor, Paul Mackenzie, is under investigation for ordering his followers to fast to death, before of the end of the world that according to him would happen on April 15.
Police have been exhuming bodies at a farm owned by Mackenzie, where he moved to in 2019 after closing his church in Malindi. More than 100 dead have been found at the scene.
Mackenzie allegedly sold a television channel he owned to Ezequiel Odero. The channel is popular in Kenyan homes, with people traveling from all over the country to visit his church.
Odero’s YouTube channel has more than 400,000 subscribers and more than 70 million views.
In the past, Odero has held megacrusades attended by top politicians, including Vice President Rigathi Gachagua’s wife, Pastor Dorcas. Kenya is a largely religious society.
Some of the Kenyan lawmakers have come out to criticize the security services as they say they have been unable to prevent the mass deaths in the Shakahola forest, after news broke that Mackenzie had been arrested and released on bail last month on suspicion of the murder of two children by starvation and suffocation.
A Kenyan judiciary disciplinary body said it was investigating whether there was any misconduct on the part of judicial officers and staff handling the matter.
Mackenzie was arrested again on April 14 and held along with 14 other members of his church. According to local media, he refuses to eat and drink.
The Reuters agency spoke with the lawyers representing Mackenzie, but neither commented on his attorney’s accusations.
The church leader had previously been arrested several times since 2017, in connection with a range of crimes including child neglect and radicalization, according to a statement. Mackenzie was cleared of some of these charges while others were dropped.
The Red Cross says that more than 300 people have been reported missing, so authorities fear the death toll will rise.
With Reuters and AP
