The Senate Ad Hoc Committee on Shakahola has set up camp at Pastor Ezekiel Odero’s mega-church in Mavueni, Kilifi County, to verify testimonies.
The committee is looking into allegations linking the flamboyant televangelist to embattled preacher Paul Mackenzie, who is being investigated in connection with the Shakahola mass killings.
The committee, led by Tana River Senator Danson Mungatana, was in Mavueni on Monday to inspect the church following Pastor Ezekiel’s testimony on Friday.
“We are here as the Senate Ad Hoc Committee on Shakahola, we had two witnesses on Friday, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations and Pastor Ezekiel specifically requested that we visit the premises so that we can investigate the allegations first-hand,” said Mungata.
During the inspection, Mr Mungatana told the press that the committee would continue with other scheduled visits to verify issues raised in the investigation.
“Tomorrow we will visit the DCI headquarters in Nairobi to look into the issues that came up during the testimonies. We hope to verify all the issues,” he said.
The senator went on to say that the visits were critical in preparing a full report to help Kenyans be more discerning about religious places of worship.
The senators went to Pastor Ezekiel’s TV and radio studio, where he broadcasts his sermons.
He was also asked to explain the security measures in place in the event of a fire at the mega-church, which seats more than 45,000 people at full capacity.
