Desperate to escape a mountain of debt and revive his dwindling congregation, a Nairobi pastor turned to two self-styled spiritual consultants—only to be conned out of more than Sh1.4 million.

Pastor Mark Ndinyo Khamala, founder of Grace Community Bible Church in Roasters along the Thika Superhighway, claims Anastaciah Wanjiru Chege and Tanzanian national Benjamin Jumainne Mageche promised to cleanse him of financial misfortune and help his church flourish—only to vanish with his money after bizarre rituals allegedly performed in Mombasa.

Although Khamala vehemently denies participating in occult practices, a Nairobi court on July 28, 2025, heard that he underwent a strange coastal ceremony.

The court heard he travelled all the way to the coastal city of Mombasa, where “occultic rituals” were performed.

While along the Indian Ocean, the pastor was instructed to carry a clay pot on his head during the night ritual after being convinced the bizarre undertaking in the hands of Wanjiru and Jumainne would end his struggles.

The courtroom fell into an uneasy silence at the revelations, which Khamala denied as he tried to disassociate himself from witchcraft. 

The court heard that Wanjiru and Jumainne had introduced themselves as “spiritual consultants” with powers to cure Khamala’s financial and church problems.

Testifying before Magistrate Paul Mutai, the Nairobi-based pastor described himself not as a man pursuing mystical shortcuts, but rather as a vulnerable spiritual leader defrauded during a time of financial collapse and emotional desperation.

Nairobi pastor turns to witchcraft to cure debt, get conned Sh1.4 million

“I am a man of faith. I never travelled to Mombasa to perform any spiritual rituals. That accusation is false and deeply offensive,” Khamala declared under oath while responding to questions from defense counsel Enock Ongiti, who pressed him on claims that he sought help from witch doctors at the coast.

Khamala’s denial came during a fraud trial in which he has accused Wanjiru and Jumainne of conspiring to con him over Sh1.4 million by promising to “spiritually” fix his financial problems and grow his church’s influence. 

Spiritual collapse

Khamala, a father of three and respected theologian with a Master’s degree in Divinity and Theological Studies from the United States, told the court that financial woes began shortly after he returned to Kenya during the Covid-19 pandemic with dreams of establishing a thriving gospel ministry. 

“I came back home with a vision to serve and grow a church. But I was financially strained and desperate to expand the ministry,” he informed the court.

According to his testimony, the cleric launched his church with only 40 members and, in an effort to secure land for a permanent worship space, took loans totaling Sh3 million from a lending institution. 

was convinced to take loans totaling Sh3 million from a money-lending institution to secure the land. But the deal collapsed, and I was left with a heavy debt burden, teetering on the edge of personal and spiritual ruin,” said Khamala. 

He said that it was during this low point that the two accused persons, Wanjiru and Jumainne, approached him, presenting themselves as spiritual consultants and traditional practitioners, offering what they claimed were spiritual powers to break his financial curse and boost his ministry. 

“They told me they had the powers to clear my debts and make me influential in ministry. From history, these two accused persons caught me at a moment when I was desperate and vulnerable,” Khamala testified.

“They never told me exactly how they would help me. They just said they had powers. And I clung to what seemed like hope,” he said. 

The pastor told court that he paid the duo Sh700,000 partly in cash and the rest via M-Pesa, with most transactions directed to a phone number registered under Wanjiru’s name. 

“After the payments, nothing changed. My debt only grew,” the pastor told the magistrate, claiming that when he confronted Wanjiru and Jumainne about the failed promises, they turned hostile.  

“They threatened me and warned me not to tell anyone. That’s when I realised I had been conned,” Khamala told the court. 

He later reported the matter at Gigiri Police Station. The pastor also tendered in court detailed M-Pesa transaction statements showing that over Sh1 million had been sent to the two accused persons.

Led in his evidence by state prosecutor, the pastor told the court that all payments from him went directly to the accused persons.

“What method did you use to send the money?” the prosecutor asked.

“I sent the money through M-Pesa, and sometimes I gave cash,” responded Khamala

Read Also: Miracle?: ’30-Year-old Baby’, Couple Welcome Baby Boy Born From an Embryo Frozen in 1992

Pressed further by the prosecutor to clarify who received the money, Khamala asserted that both Wanjiru and Jumainne had received thousands of shillings from him.

“Can you confirm that the two individuals seated here today were the recipients?” posed the prosecutor. 

Khamala responded: “Exactly, the two seated here are the ones who conned me.”