Pastor Ezekiel Ambok Odero, a televangelist in Kenya, has been arrested by police on charges of mass killing of his followers. Odero’s New Life Prayer Centre and Church has also been closed down by the authorities.
The arrest came after the discovery of dozens of bodies linked to another church.
Police officers investigating the claims of indoctrination against Odero have revealed that the preacher is wealthy and owns several properties, including a church that can seat 40,000 people and a hotel for followers from across the globe.
Odero’s rise to fame as a televangelist is an inspiring story. Born into poverty on an island in Lake Victoria in western Kenya, he worked as a fisherman and struggled with school before taking to the pulpit 15 years ago.
He did not attend any theological school but spent years as an understudy and keyboard player at the church of renowned televangelist Pius Muiru in the coastal city of Mombasa.
He rose through the ranks before later branching out to form his own church.
Known for his commanding baritone voice and signature all-white garb, Odero first established New Life Church in Shanzu, Mombasa County in 2010.
In the subsequent years, the church grew significantly, and in March 2022, he relocated to Mavueni in Kilifi County on a 65-acre piece of land.
At the complex, the preacher has built a four-storey staff quarters, News International School for primary and secondary students, a restaurant, a petrol station and cottages for church guests.
Currently, there are reports that the leadership is planning to build a university, a student rehabilitation centre, a shopping mall and an airstrip.
Odero also runs the New Life YouTube channel, which boasts over 449 subscribers. On the platform, he has shared over 1600 videos with more than 72 million views. He shares different summons from his church and live prayer sessions.
Despite the controversy surrounding his arrest, Odero’s teachings have received widespread acceptance as witnessed by the huge multitudes of worshipers from different parts of the country as well as from Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Sudan, Ethiopia, Sweden, the United States and other European countries who continue to troop into his church.
The church’s services run daily with the exception of Mondays and receive an average of 1,000 visitors during the week and about 30,000 during weekends.
On selected Saturdays, there is Holy Communion, which attracts a multitude of worshipers.
