Pastor Ezekiel encountered significant obstacles while attempting to access Kilifi, as law enforcement personnel established roadblocks and conducted thorough searches of all vehicles.
On Thursday, October 5, 2023, for the second time within a week, the police intervened to halt a five-day mega crusade that Pastor Ezekiel had meticulously planned to host along the Kilifi-Mombasa highway.
In the preceding week, the police had cited a lack of timely notification as their reason for preventing the crusade from taking place at the Kwa Kenga wa Mumba farm in the Mwezang’ombe area, a decision that left Pastor Ezekiel with no choice but to postpone the event. He had originally scheduled the crusade to span from Wednesday, September 27, to Sunday, October 1, but he had deferred it to the current week following police advice to ensure proper notification.
In a commendable act of goodwill, the church took proactive steps by distributing food donations consisting of maize flour, beans, and cooking oil ahead of the crusade’s commencement, which ultimately got underway on Wednesday.
Regrettably, on Thursday morning, the Kilifi North Sub County Police Commander communicated to Pastor Ezekiel, via a formal letter, the disheartening news that his request to host the crusade had been denied due to security concerns.
With his access to Kilifi blocked by the police, Pastor Ezekiel was left with no option but to conduct his sermons under the cover of darkness. During one such night sermon, he expressed deep perplexity regarding the treatment he had received, wondering aloud about any perceived wrongdoing that had led to such frustration and harassment within his own country.
In his own poignant words during the nighttime sermon, Pastor Ezekiel shared his sense of anguish: “It is profoundly distressing to undergo such challenges within one’s own homeland. I have never spoken publicly about the tribulations I face. Today, I was not even permitted to reach Kilifi; there was a police barricade before the bridge, and every vehicle was subjected to meticulous searches, all to prevent Ezekiel from setting foot in Kilifi. This is disheartening within our own land. Why search every vehicle and block the road, preventing me from delivering my sermons? I preach openly to you, and our services are accessible to all. Why, Kenya, have you chosen to obstruct my path in this manner?” Pastor Ezekiel lamented.
