One of Kenya’s most famous televangelists, Pastor Ezekiel Odero has suffered a setback after the Appellate Court declined to issue an order stopping the deregistration of his New Life Prayer Centre church.
Odero in August last year moved to court seeking to overturn the High Court decision that granted the government the leeway to deregister his church.
The Kilfi-based preacher’s prayer centre was among the churches listed for deregistration by the Registrar of Societies on grounds of breaching the Agency’s regulations.
In his application, Odero also sought a temporary order to block the deregistration of his church, a request which the court granted pending hearing and determination of the case.
However, after months of hearing the case, the court In its ruling, dismissed the preacher's appeal on grounds that Odero and other church officials had not exhausted other dispute resolution mechanisms provided by the law before resorting to the courts.
“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.
While filing the appeal in August last year, Odero through his lawyers led by Danstan Omari, also refuted allegations of tax evasion as claimed by the Registrar of Societies.
The preacher applied for the court to bar the government from interfering with the church's operations. Odero further asked the court to compel the Registrar of Societies and the Inspector General of Police to ensure the safety of the church.
While addressing the press outside the courtroom, Odero's lawyers accused the government of attempting to frustrate the preacher's ministry through what he termed as frivolous 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 further alleged mischief by the government and demanded multi-million compensation for what they described as unwarranted arrest and detention.
Besides Odero's church, the Registrar of Societies also deregistered four other churches. The announcement was made through a gazette notice.
