A Kenyan pastor who is suffering from a very rare health condition that causes his chest to leak milk has been unable to have sex with his wife for over 10 years.

Pastor Francis Gichuru Gachieki, the founder of Christ Ambassadors Church International in Nairobi’s Mowlem area, developed ‘prolactinoma', a medical condition which makes him produce milk from his breasts, shortly after he married his wife in 2000.

The condition is caused by a non-cancerous tumour in the pituitary gland in the brain, which controls hormones.

Pastor Gichuru who has spent over £9,000 trying to get help, has become obese and weak because of the hormonal problem and is trying to raise £10,000 for another treatment.

He said when he noticed an 'unusual liquid' coming out from his nipples and told his wife, Merci Muthoni, 48, she examined his chest and found milk oozed out of his breasts when she squeezed them.

In an interview with The Nairobian, Francis Gichuru, a former manager at an insurance company, says, “Actually, the problem began immediately after our wedding in 2000, then I could not perform to the maximum, but we could not figure out the root cause.”

Pastor

Gichuru adds that despite his condition, some of his friends and relatives still chide him for not having sired a child.

“After stepping out of a cyber café back in 2007, I noticed an unusual liquid on my shirt, but ignored it and proceeded home in Kariobangi,” he said.

When he got home, his wife, Mercy Muthoni, also noticed the liquid discharge and asked him to remove his shirt after which she squeezed his breasts and discovered that the abnormal liquid was milk and not sweat.

He went to see a doctor who referred him to Kenyatta National Hospital and several tests were conducted. He says he felt humiliated when female patients started laughing at him as he queued with them in the same line

“Soon after, I started experiencing severe headaches, poor eyesight among other disturbing symptoms and even though doctors conducted several tests, including squeezing out milk for tests, they did not make a conclusive diagnosis,” he says.

“More than three doctors conducted similar tests as the condition took a toll on me. At some point, a group of doctors and students even stripped me naked while teasing me,” he says.

Help came in 2009 as Pastor Gichuru was listening to a local radio station “when I heard a female doctor describing my condition and that it could be treated.”

When he contacted the doctor, he was given some tablets that gave him peace of mind for his condition.

“When my conditioned worsened in 2014, my doctor proposed a surgery in India, United States, Singapore or Israel,” he said. “This surgery is very important to me as it will restore my life including my libido,” he says.

Pastor Gichuru says he currently feels weak and has become obese; he is also unable to enjoy certain types of food. To date, he has used more than Sh1.3 million { £9,000 }on medical bills. Meanwhile, his doctors have estimated that he needs more than Sh2.5 million  {£10,000}for a complete surgery.

Due to his condition, his Christian ministry suffered and “some members took off, saying that a childless man cannot lead them.”