Kenya arrests another pastor over cult-related mass killings

The head of a church in eastern Kenya has been arrested in relation to “mass killings” and 100 of his followers have been evacuated from church premises, Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki said on Thursday.

“Mr Ezekiel Ombok Odero the Head of New Life Prayer Centre/Church at Mavueni within Malindi Sub-County of Kilifi County has been arrested and is being processed to face criminal charges related to mass killing of his followers,” Kindiki said on Twitter.

“The said Church has been shut down. The over 100 people who were holed up at the premises have been evacuated and will be required to record statements,” he said.

Odero’s arrest and the closure of his church are separate from the case of the Good News International Church, a cult based in a forest in the same part of Kenya. Authorities have found the dead bodies of 98 followers of that organisation in recent days.

Reuters