The arrest of Pastor Ezekiel Odero of New Life Prayer Centre and his subsequent hiring of seasoned Nairobi lawyer Danstan Omari has sent shockwaves across Kenya.
The pastor is facing criminal charges related to the mass killing of his followers, with detectives seeking to establish why members of his church have been dying in large numbers.
The clergyman was questioned over claims that he was involved in occultism, but he denied these allegations. Detectives are also investigating why he did not report the deaths to the police before taking the bodies to the mortuary.
In his statement, Pastor Odero claimed that those who died in his church were already critically ill.
The ongoing investigations have raised concerns about the activities of some religious leaders in Kenya.
Cult leader Paul Mackenzie of Good News International Church was arrested in mid-March after it emerged that he led a team that buried his followers in shallow graves.
The pastor’s lawyer, Mr Jared Magolo, has not confirmed whether there is a relationship between Pastor Odero and Mr Mackenzie.
