Kenyan “Fake Doctor” Fined US$300 For Visa Overstay In Zimbabwe

A Kenyan man who overstayed his visa in Bulawayo and posed as a traditional healer to con residents out of money has been fined US$300.

Henry Odour Mwedia (48) appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Themba Chimiso, where he was charged with breaching Section 36(1)(h) of the Immigration Act by failing to comply with the conditions of his permit.

Mwedia pleaded guilty and was convicted. The court ordered him to pay the fine by 31 December 2025 or face four months in prison.

In passing sentence, the magistrate said Mwedia’s guilty plea and show of remorse had saved the court’s time.

However, prosecutor Rumbidzai Gwishiri told the court that the offence was carefully planned, adding that Mwedia had even adopted a false identity, calling himself “Dr MO Jomo”, to carry out the scam. Said Gwishiri:

“He masqueraded as a traditional healer and told unsuspecting community members that he could heal various ailments, including sexually transmitted infections (STIs), cancer, and diabetes, among many others.

“He also claimed he could bring back lost lovers and cast out spirits of bad luck.

“He took advantage of community members’ desperation for help and fleeced them of their hard-earned money. Several residents lost significant amounts to him.”

Gwishiri urged the court to impose a prison sentence, describing Henry Odour Mwedia as a cunning criminal.

She told the court that Mwedia had assumed a false identity and posed as a traditional healer, a behaviour that demonstrated he was a danger to society.

The court heard that Mwedia entered Zimbabwe on 11 December 2024 through Chirundu Border Post using a Kenyan passport and was granted a 30-day stay.

On 15 December this year, a compliance team from the Bulawayo Immigration Department received a tip-off that Mwedia had been living illegally for 11 months in a city-centre flat.

The team discovered that Mwedia had been operating as a traditional healer under the name “Dr MO Jomo,” claiming to cure illnesses, including cancer and sexually transmitted infections.

More: Chronicle