Pastor Ezekiel takes on State over closure of his church and TV station
New Life Church Leader Pastor Ezekiel Odero when he appeared before the Shanzu Law Courts in Mombasa in this photo taken on April 28, 2023
Pastor Ezekiel Odero, who is under investigations for various crimes including genocide, has moved to court to compel the government to reopen his New Life Prayer Centre and Church and restore frequency for the World Evangelism TV station.
The government through the Communication Authority of Kenya (CAK) had suspended the operations of the television station and the church located in Mavueni, Kilifi County.
The church’s doors were shut and the frequency of the television suspended days after Pastor Ezekiel was arrested and arraigned over alleged link to the Shakahola massacre that has claimed over 110 lives.
He has now opened a new battlefront with the State after he moved to the Mombasa High Court for his church to be reopened and the TV frequency restored.
Through his advocate Danstan Omari, he argues that the church and the TV station are his modern tools through which he spreads the gospel to the people.
“Though the allegations against Pastor Ezekiel are unsubstantiated, scandalous and untrue, there has been an increasing extrajudicial interference by the State, who currently threatens to freeze the church bank accounts, maliciously intending to paralyse the activities and operations of the church,” said Mr Omari.
These attempts, the lawyer said, will unreasonably deny Pastor Ezekiel and his congregation freedom to religion and right to property as decreed under the constitution if actualized.
According to Pastor Ezekiel, the current threats to freeze the church’s bank accounts is part of the unconstitutional path that the state has taken to frustrate his ministry for they know too well that he is innocent of all the evil accusations against him.
“Unless this application and petition is heard on priority basis and determined expeditiously, the applicant’s bill of rights and fundamental freedoms to wit his right to dignity ,equality and right to fair hearing and rights of an accused person will continue to be violated by the State,” he said
He alleged that the State has connived an evil and malicious scheme against him aimed at frustrating his ministry hence the need for court’s protection.
He said if the court does not intervene, the State will continue issuing illegal directives with the aim of not only frustrating him but also threaten the very existence of New Life Prayer Centre and Church and paralyse operations and ongoing church ministerial projects.
He has sued Attorney General Justin Muturi, Inspector General of Police, Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, CAK and its Chief Officer Ezra Chiloba , Interior Ministry amongst others.
Assets Recovery Agency, Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission and National Council of Churches of Kenya amongst others have been named in the petition as interested parties.
In the case, Pastor Ezekiel wants the court to stop the State agencies from taking adverse actions against him including freezing the church’s eight bank accounts with Cooperative and NCBA banks.
In the interim and pending the hearing and determination of this application, he wants the court to issue a conservatory order temporarily directing the State to refrain from interfering with the religious activities or prayer sessions in the church to allow the smooth running of the ministry.
He also wants the court to issue temporary conservatory orders staying the CAK’s communication temporarily suspending the operation of the television frequency operated under the name World Evangelism Television.
The communication closing the church was made by Coast Regional Commissioner Rhoda Onyancha shortly after Pator Ezekiel was arrested.
But Pastor Ezekiel claimed no written communication was or has been sent to him or the church explaining the reason why the church was closed and worshipers barred from accessing the facility’s premises.
“Despite knowing that the decision to suspend the TV frequency was adverse and would frustrate our continued desire to spread the ministry, there was no prior notice or warning issued to us or the administration of the church of such imminent action,” said Ezekiel.
He argues that the ministry has always run the television station to the required standard and dutifully filed the relevant documentations with the CAK.
“Thus the recent directive by the CAK has been made in another attempt to frustrate me due to baseless accusations because of my previous commercial dealings with Paul Mackenzie,” he added.
He has denied allegations that he is involved in money laundering or fraud.
Pastor Ezekiel argues that the threat to freeze his bank account and that of the church is a double threat to his right to property and freedom of worship and association since the operations of the church including ongoing construction and development projects within the premises will stand paralyzed
“I am reasonably apprehensive that the state will actualize the extrajudicial threats to continue closing the church premises and to freeze the bank accounts since the state through public announcement has taken a malicious and outrageous approach to try and twin me together with Mackenzie who is the main suspect in the so called Shakahola massacre ,’ he said.
He has said that it is discriminatory for the state to severely or jointly participate in his persecution because of the failed commercial dealing with Mackenzie.
Pastor Ezekiel has lamented that he is not the only person that has ever engaged commercially with Mackenzie.
“Fairness would thus demand that all and sundry who have ever done any business with the said Mackenzie be victimized and persecuted as I have endured,” he said
Both Mackenzie and Ezekiel are under investigations for the offences of aiding suicide, murder, abduction, radicalisation, genocide, crimes against humanity, child cruelty, fraud and money laundering.
