Nairobi, Kenya – Pastor Mark Ndinyo Khamala of Grace Community Bible Church has dismissed claims that he traveled to Mombasa to perform a ritual in the Indian Ocean to erase debts and attract a cult-like following.
Testifying before Magistrate Hon. Mutai at the Milimani Law Courts, Pastor Khamala said the allegations were false and hurtful to his faith and integrity. He told the court that he was, instead, the victim of a spiritual scam that cost him Ksh 700,000.
Khamala, who holds a Master’s degree in Divinity and Theological Studies from the United States, said his financial troubles began shortly after returning to Kenya during the COVID-19 pandemic. “I came back with a vision to serve and grow a ministry,” he stated, adding that his newly established church along Thika Road had only about 40 members at the time.
Seeking to expand the ministry, the pastor recounted being approached by individuals who claimed to represent a company called Delerue, allegedly offering to help him purchase land for the church. Convinced, Khamala took loans amounting to Ksh 3 million to secure the deal but it fell through.
“As I was struggling under the weight of this debt, the accused persons, Anastacia Wanjiru Chege and Benjamin Jumainne Mageche, came into the picture. They promised to clear my debts and elevate my spiritual influence,” he said.
According to the pastor, he paid the two Ksh 700,000, partially in cash and the rest via mobile money sent to a line registered in Anastacia’s name. “After the payment, nothing changed. In fact, my financial situation worsened,” Khamala testified.
When he later confronted the duo, the pastor said they became hostile and threatened him. “That’s when I realized I had been conned,” he told the court. He subsequently reported the matter to Gigiri Police Station.
During cross-examination by defense lawyer Enock Ongiti, Pastor Khamala firmly denied claims that he had consulted a witch doctor or traveled to the coast to conduct rituals. “I am a man of faith. I never went to Mombasa to perform any ritual,” he said.
Asked to clarify the capacity in which the accused were to resolve his debts, the pastor struggled to give a clear answer but maintained that he was in a desperate and emotionally broken state at the time. “I was clinging to what seemed like hope,” he said.
The prosecution noted that, according to the statement filed at Gigiri Police Station, the accused had promised to use supernatural powers to erase the pastor’s debts and increase his congregation.
The matter is still under hearing and is expected to proceed before the court in the coming weeks
