Mass Killing of Church Members: Second Pastor Arrested In Kenya to Face Criminal Charges

On Thursday, April 27, 2023, Kenya authorities arrested another popular pastor and he has been arranged to face criminal charges for the mass killing of his followers.

This came to the public notice after Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki reported announcing the arrest of Ezekiel Ombok Odero who is the pastor of the New Life Prayer Church in Mavueni, Kilifi County on Twitter.

The interior minister however did not give any further details on the charges and allegations level against the poster Mr. Odero.

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Minister Kithure Kindiki on Twitter space wrote that they “said the church has been shut down”. The minister also added that a lot of followers were holed up in the premises of the church and were being moved to a secured location where the police would take their statement.

Ezekiel Ombok Odero, the pastor of the New Life Prayer Church is believed to have been selling miracle healing packages like water which he called “living water” and other stuff like pieces of cloth (handkerchiefs) which he sold around 100 Kenya shillings which about 70 cents in US dollar.

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Prior to his arrest, he boosted and claimed that the water had healing powers and that the handkerchief could heal people like the clothes used by Paul in the bible. He added that there was indeed nothing special in the bottled water but just purified water and he prayed over it. So the magic water lies in his prayer.

He claimed how powerful he was and said his shadow was anointed and could heal people if he passes over people. He said all these in a local media interview.

In a direct quote from him, he said “The faithful come from all over the world to receive his anointing and blessing” he said people come to his church from all over on Sunday and the church is always full to maximum capacity and that sometimes getting a parking lot is difficult. To solve this crisis, he built a petrol station for his guest to fuel their cars.

Pastor Odero’s arrest was in response to a previous incident that happened when over 100 bodies were found in shallow graves in the Shakahola forest in the eastern part of Kenya. However, there were some survivors who were found in very dehumanizing, weak, and malnourished conditions.

The dead and survivors were believed to be members of Good News International Church. The police are investigating the Good News International Church pastor, Pastor Paul Mackenzie Nthenge for allegedly encouraging his followers to starve to death to gain salvation, including children.

The authorities in the country have vowed to put in place laws to regulate the activities of religious bodies and organizations. The news of pastor Mackenzie has shocked many in the country which has made many question the country’s intelligence agencies.