The Registrar of Societies has cancelled the registration of Pastor Ezekiel’s Newlife Prayer Centre and Church in Kilifi County.
The government has deregistered the Newlife Prayer Centre and Church linked to Pastor Ezekiel Odero.
The church located in Mavueni is at the centre of money laundering and cult claims.
Pastor Ezekiel’s church is among five other churches whose registrations have been revoked in a move to crack down on suspicious religious institutions.
The four others that have been deregistered include; Helicopter of Christ Church, Theophilus Church, Kings Outreach Church, and Goodnews International Ministries.
Helicopter of Christ Church is run by popular pastor Thomas Wahome.
Pastor Wahome was recently accused of grabbing Nairobi Dam land.
Kings Outreach Church is one of the umbrella churches that broke away from Prophet David Owuor.
Newlife Prayer Centre in Mavueni, Kilifi County. Photo/courtesy
Goodnews International Ministries is run by controversial Shakahola cult leader Pastor Paul Mackenzie. Over 450 bodies have so far been exhumed from a compound linked to the preacher.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by Section 12 (1) of the Societies Act, the Registrar of Societies cancels the registration of the societies specified in the first column of the Schedule, with effect from the respective dates specified in the third column of the Schedule,” said Registrar of Societies Maria Nyariki.
Pastor Ezekiel was arrested in late April over links to the Shakahola massacre.
His arrest followed mass deaths at a compound associated with Paul Mackenzie, whose church is also situated in Kilifi.
The interior cabinet secretary, Kithure Kindiki, then said that police were investigating flashy preachers operating contrary to the law.
He was, however, released from police custody on Thursday, May 4, on a KSh 3 million bond or KSh 1.5 million cash bail.
READ ALSO: Who is Pastor Ezekiel Odero? His Wife, Children and Cars
Pastor Ezekiel is under investigation for murder, aiding suicide, abduction, radicalization, genocide, crimes against humanity, child abuse, fraud, money laundering, and being an accessory to crimes.
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