Freed on Sh1.5 million cash bail, Ezekiel Odero
According to the Mombasa County court, the state failed to demonstrate how Mr. Odero’s freedom would hinder the gathering of evidence, such as DNA samples from the remains of Shakahola massacre victims, and interfere
Joe Omido, the senior principal magistrate in Shanzu, also claimed that the State had not provided an update on the investigation, including whether or not witness statements had been recorded.
He set the televangelist free on a Sh3 million bond with a Sh1.5 million cash bail or Sh3 million in surety.
He stated, “The bond or bail terms… shall remain in effect until the respondent is officially charged and/or until the investigations are finished.”
Pastor Odero has been forbidden from commenting on the Shakahola case and is only allowed to report to the police once per week.
The magistrate also issued orders prohibiting the televangelist from speaking before an audience, making public remarks, or discussing anything related to the Shakahola case in public.
The respondent must appear before the investigating officer once every week at a time and day that are agreed upon by the attorneys for the State and the defense. Once investigations are finished, parties to the case will be free to request that it be closed, he said.
State failed
The State should have used the allotted seven days to record statements from important witnesses, according to the court, and at the very least should have presented enough evidence to show that efforts were made to gather these statements.
Declaring in general terms that the respondent will obstruct witnesses is insufficient. How the respondent’s liberty affects or hinders DNA testing is the unresolved question. This query has not received a response from the State. The magistrate said, “I am convinced that the State has not sought to maintain the respondent’s detention in good faith.
Additionally, it was discovered that every death that took place in pastor Odero’s church was documented.
According to the State, there is evidence that so far indicates that deaths took place inside the church’s grounds and were later noted in the police occurrence book.