The five were arrested on Wednesday in the Sikata village, Bungoma County, after villagers raised the alarm over their suspicious activities while at the homestead of an elderly woman.

In a clip on Citizen TV, residents said the five elaborately dressed men arrived at the homestead of the woman, claiming to be pastors seeking to help her get rid of evil spirits.

"These men came to pray for a woman here who has had very sick relatives, but instead of even saying who they were, they just walked in and started making demands," one of the residents, Caren Nasambu, said.

It later emerged that two members of the gang were policemen, attached to the Ruai police station in central Kenya, which is more than 400km south of Bungoma County.

The five were taken to the Bungoma police station where they were charged and released on bail.

Cases of people posing as pastors and performing hideous acts are not new to Kenya.

News24 recently reported the case of a UK-based Kenyan pastor Gilbert Deya, who has allegedly been duping his congregation by selling them normal olive oil in the name of a healing serum for HIV and cancer.

- News24.com