Pastor Ezekiel Odero has raised allegations of persecution and attempts to curtail his ministry by the state as he seeks to overturn the deregistration of the New Life Prayer Centre and Church. Odero contends that the Registrar of Societies made the decision to deregister the church without affording him an opportunity to defend himself and his congregation's right to worship freely.

In court documents filed at the Milimani Law Courts, Pastor Ezekiel Odero asserts that he was blindsided by the Registrar of Societies' decision to cancel the registration of New Life Prayer Centre and Church. He claims that he was not given the chance to respond or present his case to avert the deregistration.

Odero expresses his dismay in the court documents, stating, "It is increasingly disheartening of the numerous attempts by state organs to persecute me, frustrate my ministry and eventually not only shut down the New Life Prayer Centre & Church but also all my other projects."

Represented by Lawyer Danstan Omari, Pastor Ezekiel seeks a suspension of the registrar's directive that led to the cancellation of the church's registration, as published in an August 18 gazette notice this year. The case lists the Registrar of Societies and the Attorney General as respondents.

According to the court documents, the Registrar's gazette notice indicated that the cancellation was executed on May 19, 2023. However, Odero argues that he was served a letter on May 25, 2023—dated April 27, 2023—asking him to show cause within 21 days why the church's registration should not be revoked due to the failure to submit its annual returns.

Pastor Odero alleges that this timeline was strategically calculated to hinder his response, noting, "This Odero says is 'an obvious scheme to frustrate the operations of the church, the Notice to show cause was served upon me 8 days after the expiry of the intended 21-day notice'."

The Pastor further reveals that despite repeated efforts to acquire the church's file from the Registrar's registry for annual returns filing, the Registrar has been uncooperative. Odero claims that the Registrar "intentionally and maliciously conspired to make unavailable the church's file in a bid to frustrate my efforts to remain in compliance with the Societies Act by filing its Annual Returns on time."

Pastor Ezekiel Odero emphasizes his concern over the Registrar's actions, asserting that they seem to be aimed at undermining the purpose of a court order issued by Lady Justice Olga Sewe of the High Court of Mombasa on May 10, 2023. The order sought to prevent interference with the religious activities of the Church.

The ongoing legal battle underscores the complexities surrounding religious institutions' legal status and the relationship between religious leaders and regulatory bodies.