Court Turns Down Pastor Ezekiel Odero’s Request Over Church License
Pastor Ezekiel Odero, one of Kenya’s most well-known televangelists, has suffered a setback after an Appellate Court refused to issue an order to prevent the deregistration of his New Life Prayer Centre church.
Odero had filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn a High Court decision that allowed the government to deregister his church.
The Kilfi-based preacher’s prayer centre was among the churches listed for deregistration by the Registrar of Societies due to violations of the Agency’s regulations.
Odero also requested a temporary order to prevent his church from being deregistered, which the court granted pending the case’s hearing and determination.
Kilifi-based pastor Ezekiel Odero has suffered a setback after the Court of Appeal declined to suspend a decision that paved the way for the deregistration of his church New Life Prayer Centre (NPCC).
— TheStarKenya (@TheStarKenya) September 24, 2024
Odero moved to the appellate court seeking to suspend High Court Judge Jairus… pic.twitter.com/d4HyT3WCs8
In its decision, the court dismissed the preacher’s application on the grounds that Odero and other church officials had not exhausted other dispute-resolution mechanisms available under the law before turning to the court.
“In light of the consistent decisions of this Court and the Supreme Court that a party must first invoke the dispute resolution mechanisms provided by the law before resorting to the High Court or courts or equal status, we are satisfied that the intended appeal is not arguable,” the court ruled.
Ezekiel Odero filed an appeal in August of last year, challenging the government’s decision to deregister his church on tax evasion grounds.
The preacher, through his lawyer Danstan Omari, petitioned the court to prevent the government from interfering with the church’s activities.
Odero also asked the court to compel the Registrar of Societies and the Inspector General of Police to protect the church.
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While addressing the press outside the courtroom, Odero’s lawyers accused the government of attempting to undermine the preacher’s ministry through what he termed as unscrupulous claims.
“It’s suspicious. It’s a clear manifestation against Pastor Ezekiel. Notices to close have never been served. No notice to show cause has been issued as provided by the rules as required by the constitution,” Omari claimed.
The lawyers also accused the government of mischief in an attempt to block a lawsuit filed by the preacher in which he sought multi-million dollar damages for unjustified arrest and detention.
Besides Odero’s church, the Registrar of Societies deregistered four other churches. The announcement was made via a gazette notice.
Court Turns Down Pastor Ezekiel Odero’s Request Over Church License
