Yes, we picked bodies at Ezekiel's prayer centre, says morgue boss

Pastor Ezekiel Odero (left) and Milele Funeral Homes Chief Executive Johnson Amani Keya. [File, Standard] The investigations into mass deaths in Shakahola in Kilifi County took a new twist after a mortuary neighbouring Pastor Ezekiel Odero's prayer centre admitted collecting bodies and receiving countless others from the sanctuary. Milele Funeral Homes, which had earlier on fallen out with the televangelist, said it had collected bodies from the preacher's New Life Prayer Centre in Mavueni, Kilifi County, and many more were brought from there. Milele Funeral Homes Chief Executive Johnson Amani Keya said they started collecting bodies at the church premises last year. In an interview with The Standard, Mr Keya said they collected at least four bodies from the church before they fell out with the flamboyant Pastor. "We collected about four bodies with our morgue vehicles at the church premises after the church administration contacted us on different occasions. However, we stopped going there after we had a clash with Pastor Ezekiel," he stated. After they stopped collecting the bodies, however, families started ferrying their dead to the funeral home from the church premises. "We have lost count of how many because so many families have brought in their dead relatives," he said, in the revelation that could attract the interest of investigators. Early this year, Ezekiel claimed he prayed for the morgue to close. In a viral video, the pastor is depicted boasting of it, speaking of his suspicion as to why a morgue would operate independently of a hospital or a dispensary. "If you go down to Mavueni on your way to Mombasa, on your right-hand side, there is Milele Funeral Home. They don't have a hospital, a dispensary, or a clinic; it is just a funeral home. And right there is a black spot. You die and they take you straight to the mortuary. "Let me say it as it is. I was irked and I fasted, went with three bottles of holy water and threw them into the compound and it was closed after that," Ezekiel said in the video. But yesterday, Keya dismissed Ezekiel's claims about the mortuary's gate being a black spot saying what the pastor said was malicious. The businessman said they were intending to expand the business and have a health facility in the complex. Holy water He also refuted claims by Ezekiel that the mortuary closed down due to his prayers and the holy water allegedly hauled into the compound. He said Ezekiel's act of throwing holy water at the funeral premises was ungodly. Due to the influence and command of the Pastor on locals, the funeral home chief said, business operations at the facility have been affected. "Those who are most affected by Ezekiel's allegations are the employees working there. We are still open and we have more than 10 branches all over the country,'' he said. On Thursday last week, investigations over Paul Makenzi's operations took a new twist when detectives arrested Pastor Ezekiel, accusing him of being an accomplice of Makenzi. On Friday, Shanzu court heard that the pair have a business history which ties them to the radicalisation of faithful, leading to the massacre unfolding in Shakahola. The prosecutor also told the court there is credible evidence that some people who died at Pastor Ezekiel's centre were buried in a piece of land in Shakahola belonging to Makenzi. They will both appear in Shanzu court tomorrow. In Shakahola, the exercise of exhuming victims is expected to resume today. Detectives conducting exhumations on Friday dug out 12 more bodies buried in shallow graves at Makenzi's homestead, pushing the tally of bodies so far exhumed to 110. In Malindi, Kenya Red Cross said 410 people who are believed to have joined Makenzi at Shakahola Farm are still missing. Of the 410 missing persons, 227 are children, according to the humanitarian body. Meanwhile, Senate speaker Amason King has called on the State to deploy low-flying helicopters to help in tracing and rescuing victims. [Additional reporting by Nehemiah Okwembah]

Yes, we picked bodies at Ezekiel's prayer centre, says morgue boss

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