Quack doctor arrested soliciting money from patients in Malindi

Detectives in Malindi, Kilifi County, are holding a 36-year-old man for masquerading as a medical doctor and deceiving unsuspecting locals.

Wycliffe Okechi Mecha was apprehended by DCI detectives at Malindi sub-county hospital where he was purportedly tending to patients and soliciting money from them and their relatives.

The Hospital's Medical Superintendent, Dr. David Mang'ong'o, told Citizen Digital that staff grew wary of Mecha, clad in a lab coat, after he arrived at the facility and started tending to the sick. The hospital staff subsequently alerted authorities.

“When we interrogated him, the man failed to produce documents to prove that he was a practicing medical doctor and we called DCI sleuths who arrested him,” Mang'ong'o said.

The medical superintendent further noted that following the incident, the hospital administration has advised all staff members, patients, and their relatives to exercise heightened vigilance and report any individuals behaving suspiciously.

Additionally, he mentioned that all new staff will receive staff cards to facilitate easy identification.

Hospital Administrator Said Omar Ali emphasized that all payments for services rendered at the hospital should be made electronically, urging patients and their relatives to utilize the Paybill number provided by the hospital management for this purpose.

A local preacher, Rev. John Leiyo of the New Covenant Ministries, further told Citizen Digital that Mecha, who he claims joined his church recently, duped three of his relatives with the promise of fake jobs before he was unearthed.

“When he came to the church, he introduced himself as a medical doctor working at the Malindi sub-county hospital and that he was also a Gospel singer and we allowed him to join the praise and worship team,” Rev. Leiyo said.