Coast evangelist Ezekiel Odero of the New Life Prayer Centre and Church has been arrested a day after he was interrogated for hours by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).

Pastor Ezekiel was apprehended by police over his alleged dealings with controversial Kilifi pastor Paul Mackenzie, who has been linked to the brainwashing and starvation death of more than 90 of his followers.

Confirming the arrest, Coast Regional Commissioner Rhodah Onyancha indicated that the popular and controversial cleric was apprehended while in Mavueni area of Kilifi county before being relocated to Mombasa.

According to Rhodah, Ezekiel was arrested on allegations of deaths reported in his premises and reported in various morgues and that his New Life Prayer Centre and Church had also been shut down.

“This morning we have arrested Pastor Ezekiel Ombok Odero of the New Life Center and Church at Mavueni in Kilifi County on allegations of the deaths that have been occurring at his premises and reported in various morgues or institutions,” said Rhoda during a media briefing in Mombasa.

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She added, "We’ve also taken action and closed down the prayer center going forward. So, we are urging and giving information to the public that that prayer center has been closed down and whoever was in there has been cleared out.” 

The Coast Regional Commissioner indicated that the cleric based at the coast had been taken for further questioning at the Coast Police Headquarters to shed more light on his alleged links to the Shakahola massacre.


“He is being brought to Mombasa and we request that, as time goes by, we give you updates as we progress with the investigation,” she said.

The irony is that Pastor Ezekiel was not handcuffed as normal suspects are and was instead allowed to drive himself to Mombasa in his Lexus LX 570 with a price tag of more than Sh18 million.

During his grilling by DCI sleuths from Kilifi on Wednesday, Ezekiel denied claims of taking part in occultism at his church and links to the starvation by death at Shakahola Forest.


Pastor Ezekiel is well connected and hobnobs with the high and mighty in the country and even one os his recent crusades was graced by Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua's wife Pastor Dorcas Rigathi. 

This comes as a total of 95 bodies have been exhumed from Shakahola’s 800-acre Chakama Ranch as police link the deaths to pastor Paul Mackenzie’s Good News International Church.