Another Kenyan pastor accused of ‘mass killing of his followers’
Kenya announced on Thursday that one of the nation’s most prominent pastors would be charged with the “mass killing of his followers” just days after the discovery of dozens of bodies connected to another church.
Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki said in a statement that Ezekiel Odero, the leader of the New Life Prayer Centre and Church, “has been arrested and is being processed to face criminal charges related to the mass murder of his followers.”
“The aforementioned church has been closed. The more than 100 people who were holed up in the building have been evacuated, and they will be required to give statements’, he added.
The arrest of Odero follows an ongoing investigation into Paul Mackenzie Nthenge, the cult leader accused of being responsible for the deaths of 98 individuals associated with his church.
Police have not established a connection between the two cases, and authorities have provided no additional information regarding the nature of the allegations against Odero or his church.
Odero was transferred from the coastal town of Malindi, where his church’s headquarters are located, to the regional police headquarters in Mombasa for questioning.
Odero, a wealthy televangelist who draws massive crowds (his church south of Malindi has seating for 40,000), claims that the “holy” scraps of cloth he sells at his mega-rallies can cure illness.
Following the discovery of dozens of bodies on Nthenge’s property near Malindi during the previous week, the government had promised to crack down on extremist religious groups.
In a case that shocked the nation, the taxi driver-turned-preacher is accused of encouraging his followers to starve themselves to death as a path to God.
So far, at least 22 people have been arrested in connection with the gruesome saga.
More than half of the bodies unearthed by investigators were children, and police are concerned that the death toll could rise as they expand their search.
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Kindiki described the case as “the most egregious violation of the constitutionally protected right to freedom of religion.”
However, past attempts to regulate Kenya’s dizzying array of churches and ministries have failed, despite high-profile cases of cults and criminal pastors.
Six years ago, Nthenge drew the attention of the police; it is unclear how he was able to continue his ministry.
He was arrested in 2017 on charges of “radicalisation” after urging parents not to send their children to school, citing the Bible’s disapproval of education.
According to local media, Nthenge was arrested again last month after two children starved to death in the custody of their parents.
His bail was set at 100,000 Kenyan shillings ($700), but he surrendered to police after a search of his property in the Shakahola forest revealed bodies.
On May 2, Nthenge is scheduled to appear in court.
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