The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) has suspended with immediate effect any further broadcasting by the World Evangelism TV (New Life Communications) and Times TV (Good News Media Kenya). The two TV stations are associated with the two controversial preachers who have in the past few days grabbed news headlines for the wrong reasons, that is Paul Mackenzie and lately, Ezekiel Odero.
“Following an extensive review of content aired by the two stations between January to April, 2023, the Authority established that the TV stations violated broadcasting standards requirements and license conditions. The World Evangelism TV was found to have aired inappropriate content on exorcism during the watershed period as well as 12 other violations. Similarly, Times TV aired inappropriate content on exorcism and flouted 17 other broadcasting license conditions,” the CA director general Ezra Chiloba stated in an update issued today.
(TOP: CA director general Ezra Chiloba).
The Authority has further directed the broadcast signal distributor, Pan African Network Group (PANG), to cease carrying the two stations on its platform until further notice.
The World Evangelism TV and Times TV are associated with televangelists Ezekiel Odero and Paul Mackenzie respectively. The two televangelists are under investigations for the Shakaloha tragedy, which has so far seen over 100 bodies being exhumed from a parcel of land associated with Paul Mackenzie, in Kilifi County.
Paul Mackenzie and Ezekiel Odero are all currently behind bars.
Mackenzie has had run-ins with the law since 2017, some related to the messages he was preaching and disseminating to his congregants and to the wider through his Times TV (Good News Media Kenya). Most of these cases are still active and yet to be concluded, according to an update issued by the Judiciary on he status of the cases this week.
On March 23, 2023, the government moved to court seeking for orders to hold Mackenzie for a period of 14 days for being connected to murder of two children who had succumbed to starvation and suffocation at Shakahola and buried in a shallow grave.
The State is also seeking for further exhumation orders on the 800 acres of land owned by Pastor Mackenzie at Shakahola together with orders for DNA, postmortem and toxicology tests for any bodies that would be found buried in within the parcel of land.
There is also a case where 43 children ranging from 1 year to 13 years, and including Mackenzie’s own three children, had been rescued from Good News International Church-Mayungu (operated by Mackenzie) where they had been locked and were barred from attending school, only subjected to religious teachings.
In the case of Ezekiel Odero, he has been ordered by the court to remain in custody until Tuesday next week – that is May 2, 2023 – when the court will make a decision on whether to remand him for 30 more days following an application by the police. A Shanzu court made the ruling after police had requested to be allowed to hold Odero, who runs the New Life Prayer Centre and Church, to allow them time to conclude their investigations. The police have linked Odero to bodies exhumed at the Shakahola land in Malindi, Kilifi County.
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