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Africa

Second Kenyan pastor jailed as starvation cult death toll surpasses 100

Ezekiel Odero was a popular megachurch pastor in Kenya

Associated Press
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  • Kenyan police have arrested Ezekiel Odero, a popular megachurch pastor, in connection with Paul Makenzi's starvation cult, which has left at least 103 people dead.
  • Odero, whose YouTube channel has over 400,000 subscribers, bought Makenzi's television channel after he moved to the ranch where the deaths occurred.
  • Odero "is being processed to face criminal charges related to mass killing of his followers," according to Kenyan Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki.

Police in Kenya arrested another popular pastor on the country's Indian Ocean coast as the number of deaths linked to a cult in the area rose to 103 on Thursday.

Pastor Ezekiel Odero "is being processed to face criminal charges related to mass killing of his followers," according to a statement by Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki.

Odero will be questioned overnight and is expected to appear in court on Friday.

KENYAN STARVATION CULT DEATH TOLL HITS 90, AUTHORITIES LIKEN SITUATION TO JONESTOWN

His church has been closed and those who were found inside were ordered out, Coast Regional Coordinator Rhoda Onyancha said.

Ezekiel Odero

Kenyan pastor Ezekiel Odero has been arrested in connection with a cult that has led at least 103 people to starve themselves to death. (AP Photo/Maarufu Mohamed)

Odero’s megachurch, the New Life Prayer Centre Church, is in Malindi County, where another pastor, Paul Makenzi, is being investigated for allegedly directing his followers to fast until death.

Police have been exhuming bodies at a ranch owned by Makenzi, where he moved in 2019 after closing his church in Malindi. As part of the move, he reportedly sold his television channel to Odero.

KENYA STARVATION CULT: DOZENS OF BODIES RECOVERED ON CULT LEADER'S LAND

Odero’s television channel is popular in Kenyan households, with people travelling from across the country to visit his church.

His YouTube channel boasts more than 400,000 subscribers and more than 70 million views.

Odero’s megacrusades have in the past been attended by senior politicians, including the wife of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, Pastor Dorcas.

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Kenya is a largely religious society.