 |
| Kilifi preacher Ezekiel Odero |
A funeral home in Kilifi County has threatened to sue well-known preacher Ezekiel Odero of the New Life Prayer Centre and Church over claims that he performed miracles that led the business to close.
In a sermon that was shown on television, the preacher criticised Milele Funeral Burial and Benevolent Services' owners for erecting a mortuary next to the black spot scene with the explicit intent of making money from the fatalities caused by accidents on the Mombasa-Malindi Road. This business is located in the Mbogolo neighbourhood near Kilifi town.
The preacher allegedly forced the mortuary out of business by sprinkling three bottles of holy water over the troublesome area.
"Milele Funeral Home is marked someplace on the approach to Mombasa, on the right, at Mbogolo Hill. There is just a funeral home there; there is no hospital, pharmacy, or clinic. And there is a dark spot there. In other words, they are telling you that since they have a ready market for funeral services, they are inviting deaths along that length. They are saying that you are welcome to pass away and that the burial ceremony is all setup," Odero stated.
"Today I'll talk about this... I went downstairs and opened up a trio of bottles of living water and threw them at the business since I was so irritated by this, but the mortuary home was closed."
The management of Milele Funeral Burial and Benevolent Services has been concerned about the aforementioned remarks that have been making the rounds in a viral video and is preparing to sue him for statements that might be harmful to their business.
In contrast to what the preacher alleges, Coastal Links Investment Limited, the company that manages the funeral service, says Johnson Amani, " Milele Funeral Home at Mbogolo has never had its activities shut down."
"To be clear, Milele is still in business, and any untrue claims made by the pastor should be regarded with the disdain to which they are entitled... " the CEO spoke while in the process of transporting remains from the Taita accident site to the Milele Funeral Home mortuary.
He rejected the allegations that the mortuary was strategically placed in the neighbourhood to target incidents, calling the charges absurd.
"It's untrue to imply that we chose the blackspot in order to profit from the mishap. Due to the abundance of land, we chose to settle in Mbogolo. You are aware that a funeral home cannot be established randomly. These are some of the criteria that brought us to Mbogolo," the CEO continued.
Amani asserts that Milele has achieved its current status through a combination of hard work and significant financial investment, adding that the preacher's "reckless" statements have "massively influenced our market" and "forced us to constantly explain to our clients our existence and why we remain in company operations."
He said that as soon as they unveiled their doors to the public in 2020, Pastor Odero began making "deliberate and malicious" assaults on them.
"Ev. Ezekiel Odero insisted repeatedly in his televised sermons that we were to shut down before he arrived at the location that is now the centre of his ministry.
"Having obtained all the statutory limits and authorization to operate as an independent funeral home, Milele Funeral Services has been dealing with members of the general population in apt conformity to all the health guidelines stipulated by law," the CEO said.
"As an organisation founded on the rigorous desires of religious tolerance, we opted to stay silent and act with restraint even as these assaults significantly consumed our customer base, which took us time to assemble."
The well-known evangelist caused a stir in November of last year when he staged an astounding performance that completely sold out Kasarani Stadium in Nairobi.
He claims to be able to treat many illnesses and even make the paralysed walk.
The preacher moved his headquarters a few years ago from Mombasa's Shanzu neighbourhood to Kilifi's Mavueni area, roughly 57 kilometres north of Mombasa, where he has lately bought hundreds of acres of property to grow his ministry.
Post a Comment
What is your say on this