AFRICA ( Commonwealth Union) _ The discovery of dozens of victims in mass graves connected to another church, one of the most prominent pastors in the nation would be charged with the mass killing of his followers.
The leader of the New Life Prayer Centre and Church, Ezekiel Odero has been arrested and is being processed to face criminal charges related to the mass killing of his followers.
The aforementioned church has been closed. The more than 103 persons who were camped out on the property have been evacuated, and they will have to provide statements, he continued. The investigation into Paul Mackenzie Nthenge, a cult leader accused of murdering more than 100 followers in a jungle close to the coastal town of Malindi, is ongoing at the same time as Odero’s arrest.
The two instances have not been connected by police, and more information on the accusations against Odero and his church, which has its headquarters in Malindi, has not been released by the authorities.
The fisherman-turned-preacher grinned for the cameras as he was taken from Malindi to police headquarters in the port city of Mombasa for questioning while wearing his trademark all-white attire and holding a Bible.
A wealthy televangelist with a sizable following, Odero has a church south of Malindi that can accommodate 40,000 people and a YouTube channel with 500,000 members.
The charismatic preacher sells vials of holy water and shreds of cloth for 100 shillings (£0.60) at his
mega-rallies, which are attended by tens of thousands of followers. He says that these items can treat any sickness, even HIV. Despite portraying himself as a common man with no political connections, Odero has shared the podium with notable individuals, including the vice president’s wife, Rigathi Gachagua, in Nairobi in December. Following the discovery of numerous dead during a raid on Nthenge’s woodland farm in Malindi, the government had pledged to take action against outlaw religious organizations.
Children made up more than half of the dead excavated from mass graves in Shakahola forest over the previous week, and authorities fear that number may increase as they expand their search area. A police source reported that five more bodies were excavated on Thursday, bringing the total number of fatalities connected to the cult to 103. 39 have been saved, and at least 22 have been taken into custody.
The cult leader was compared as a terrorist by President William Ruto, who promised to punish him and anybody else promoting weird, unacceptable ideology in the nation of east Africa with the worst penalties imaginable.
Despite newsworthy events involving cults and rogue pastors charged with severe crimes, previous attempts to control Kenya’s more than 4,000 registered churches have fallen short.
The constitutional guarantee for the separation of religion and state has been passionately opposed to proposed steps to root out unscrupulous actors, such as requiring pastors to receive formal theological training.
Questions are being asked about how Nthenge was able to preach despite drawing police attention six years ago in the wake of what is being labeled the Shakahola forest massacre.
According to local media, Nthenge was detained once more last month when two kids died of starvation while in their parents’ care. He was granted bail and turned himself in to police. On May 2, Nthenge and a number of other suspects are scheduled to appear in court.
