A Ugandan witchdoctor has been charged at the Milimani Law Courts with defrauding a Kenyan trader of Ksh1.3 million by lying to him that he was in a position to treat and heal his nephew, suffering from an epileptic condition, using magical healing.

The suspect, Kenneth Nkolwa, appeared before Milimani Chief Magistrate Lucas Onyina on Wednesday, November 29 and denied two charges of cheating the complainant Deka Said Omar and being in Kenya illegally.

According to the prosecution, Nkolwa committed the offences between May 29 and July 28, 2023.

"On diverse dates between May 29 and July 28, 2023, at Stima Plaza Ngara area within Westlands Sub-county in Nairobi County, jointly with others not before the court by the use of fraudulent tricks being a witchdoctor you induced Omar to pay Ksh1.3 million by falsely pretending that you were in a position to treat and heal an Epileptic condition of one Mohammed Jamal, a nephew to the said Omar through magic heal a fact he knew to be false," the charge sheet reads in part.

The prosecution alleges that despite the victim paying the money, the health condition of his patient continued to deteriorate.

Further, the witchdoctor faced a second charge of being illegally in the country without valid documents contrary to the law.

The prosecution told the court that the accused being a Ugandan national was found unlawfully in the country on November 27, 2023, at Park Road area in Ngara Estate without valid documents.

After denying the charges Nkolwa's lawyer pleaded with the court for leniency, saying his client is a Kenyan citizen and has the right to be released on bond as per the constitution.

The prosecution led by Anderson Gikunda vehemently opposed the bond application by the accused and asked the court to detain the accused for one week awaiting a pre-bail report from the investigating officer.

Magistrate Onyina directed the accused to be detained at Parklands police station until December 4, 2023, when the court will deliver a ruling on the application.