Pastor Ezekiel Odero’s New Life Centre and Church in Mavueni, Kilifi County, has transformed the small town in Kilifi into a growing business hub.
Odero’s church is located on a 60-acre plot along the Mavueni-Kaloleni road.
The church has begun several income-generating businesses, including an International School and a business centre called Eden Business Centre.
The Eden Business Centre, which includes a petrol station, service centre, restaurant, supermarket, and hotel, aims to assist locals and promote economic growth.
According to KNA, Pastor Ezekiel emphasised that the church can play a key role in the nation’s economic growth, not just for worshippers.
The pastor urged other churches to create job opportunities for people to earn a living.
Ezekiel emphasised that profits from the business would be ploughed back into the community to alleviate the suffering of floods and drought victims.
Pastor Pius Muiru of the Maximum Miracle Centre attended the opening of the business centre.
Muiru appealed to Kenyans to change their attitudes towards church investment.
He said the Eden Business Centre would employ many people who would pay taxes for the country’s development.
Odero was born in Mbita, Homa Bay County. The pastor was raised by his sickly mother and maternal uncles.
The preacher was a student at Miwani High School. Then known as Eza, he would walk 28 km to school on opening days.
According to the Nairobian, he was a staunch Seventh-Day Adventist who cast aspersions on those who worshipped on Sundays.
“He liked to engage in endless debates to castigate those who worshipped on Sunday. We were shocked to learn that he started a church that worships on Sunday,” the tabloid quoted the pastor’s classmate.
He scored a mean grade of C- (minus) in the KCSE exams.
Pastor Ezekiel is remembered for fighting to be given a chance to sing SDA songs during Sunday worship.
