BY SAM ALFAN.
Kilifi preacher Ezekiel Odero has moved to court seeking to quash a directive of the Registrar of Societies threatening to shut down his church.
Pastor Odero moved to court arguing that the Registrar had issued threats to shut down New Life Prayer Centre and Church.
He informed the court that the Registrar sent him a show cause letter on 27th April 2023 on why the registration certificate should not be cancelled upon expiry of 21 day notice.
The preacher further wants the court to compel Registrar of societies to forthwith and unconditionally avail to him the file of New Life Prayer Centre & Church for the purposes of filing his annual returns as stipulated by Section 30 of the Societies Act.
“Unless this court moves with celerity and arrests the impending illegality and injustices that are to be occasioned by Registrar, I shall suffer irreparable harm and his congregants’ freedom of religion shall be curtailed in contravention of Article 32 of the Constitution,” says Odero.
Through lawyer Danstan Omari, Pastor Odero wants the court to restrain the registrar of Societies or his agents from cancelling the registration of the church.
“There is imminent danger that Registrar of Societies might any time from now cancel the registration of Ezekiel’s church, the New Life Prayer Centre & Church notwithstanding the fact that the registrar served its letter dated 27 April 2023 on the Applicant on 25th May 2023, 8 days after the expiry of the 21-day notice contemplated by Registrar’s letter dated 27 April 2023,” he told the court.
Omari submitted that there is a well-orchestrated and malevolent scheme to have the registration of his New Life Prayer Centre & Church cancelled.
He says that despite his ceaseless attempts to communicate to the Registrar to get the church’s file from the registry for purposes of filing its annual returns, the office has failed, ignored, neglected or refused to avail the said file to the him.
Lawyer Omari told the court that appallingly, the Registrar issued a letter dated 13th April 2023 addressed to Ezekiel unequivocally informing him to file his annual returns from the years 2012 to 2022 despite refusing, neglecting or failing to avail Ezekiel’s file to him for the purpose of filing his annual returns.
He adds that no party shall be prejudiced if the orders sought herein are granted, the leave so allowed is directed by the Court to operate as a stay of Registrar’s directive to him to show cause why the registration of New Life Prayer Centre & Church should not be cancelled as communicated vide a letter dated the 27th April 2023 and served on the Applicant on 25 May 2023.
