Detectives trace transaction between Pastor Ezekiel and Paul Mackenzie on purchase of TV station

Directorate of Criminal Inestigations (DCI) sleuths have today told the court there is evidence linking Pastor Ezekiel Odero of New Life Prayer Centre to Paul Mackenzie of Good News International Church.

Odero was arraigned at Shanzu Law Courts on Friday morning following his arrest on Thursday.

The investigating team told the court that the televangelist was under probe on various counts including; radicalisation, abduction, deaths, fraud, money laundering and so on.

In the wake of the Shakahola massacre, the sleuths said there was evidence proving some people who died at Pastor Odero's church were buried in the 800-acre piece of land.

"He is linked to several occurrence book reports of almost 100 deaths that occurred in the church between 2022 and 2023. These deaths occurred within church precincts," Prosecution Counsel Jami Yamina said.

Further, that there was a KSh3 million financial transaction made between Pastor Odero and Mackenzie regarding purchase of a television station.

"The buying of the TV station cannot be connected to the Shakahola killings. If such an analogue were to be sustained, then all of us who have bought second hand cars would be held responsible for the crimes committed by previous owners," Odero's lawyer Jared Magalo told the court, after admitting that the purchase took place.

The televangelist was earlier this week probed by Kilifi based sleuths over allegations of indoctrination of members.

This comes amid the now emerging Shakahola masacre where more than 100 bodies believed to be of Mackenzie's followers have been exhumed.

Postmortem of the bodies was set to begin as families of more than 300 reported missing persons camp in Malindi pending identification of the bodies.

Meanwhile, Pastor Odero will be detained until Tuesday, May 2 when Chief Magistrate Joe Omido will deliver ruling on prosecution team's application to have him detained for 30 days.