KNH Murder: Suspect Was Re-Admitted to Same Ward after Allegedly Killing First Patient
- The suspect behind the murders of two patients at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) has been arrested
- Kennedy Kalombotole allegedly murdered Edward Maingi Ndegwa by stabbing him in the neck with a knife
- Kalombotole is also suspected to have killed 40-year-old Gilbert Kinyua in February this year, in the same ward where Maingi met his tragic end
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The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has uncovered the identity of the suspect behind the murder of a patient at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH).
Source: Twitter
Edward Maingi Ndegwa was killed in his hospital bed on Thursday afternoon, July 17.
Having been notified of the murder, the DCI detectives showed up at the scene and documented it for investigations.
Who killed KNH patient?
The suspect, identified as Kennedy Kalombotole, was arrested.
According to the DCI, Kalombotole was a patient at KNH and had been confined to a ward adjoining the late Maingi's.
In a shocking discovery, the DCI established that the suspect is allegedly responsible for the murder of another patient, the late Gilbert Kinyua, in February.
The detectives shared that the suspect was admitted to KNH on December 1, 2024.
The condition warranting his hospitalisation was not shared.
Two months after his admission, Kalombotole allegedly murdered Kinyua.
It was in February this year when the 40-year-old was found in a pool of blood with signs of stab wounds on the neck; the murder weapon, a knife, was recovered in the ward.
"Preliminary investigations indicate that Kennedy Kalombotole was admitted to the facility on December 1, 2024, and is the prime suspect in the murder of Gilbert Kinyua Muthoni, 40, who was murdered in Ward 7C during the night of 6th and 7th February, 2025," the DCI said.
Why KNH murder suspected was not charged in court
It emerged in the DCI's statement that even after the murder of Kinyua, Kalombotole was never transferred to police custody, as investigations continued.
He remained in the hospital as Kinyua's murder disappeared from public scrutiny until Thursday, when Maingi's murder was reported.
While absolving themselves, the DCI explained why Kalombotole was yet to be charged.
Source: Twitter
The detectives said that after the completion of the investigations, they forwarded the file to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) for the next course of action.
However, the ODPP did not admit the file, calling for further investigations to have a strong case against the suspect.
Kalombotole was taken into custody after the second murder, now awaiting arraignment.
"Following the incident, a case file was compiled and submitted to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP). However, after reviewing the file, the ODPP directed the investigating officer to undertake further inquiries to reinforce the prosecution’s case. Kalombotole is currently in custody, undergoing processing pending arraignment," the DCI said.
How did KNH CEO react to patient's murder?
As earlier reported, KNH's chief executive officer, William Sigilai, confirmed the murder via an official statement on Thursday.
He said the patient's body was discovered at around 2pm.
The body was found inside a blood-soaked bed, with visible signs of a cut throat.
The CEO immediately informed the DCI and other relevant authorities, who camped at the scene.
The area was documented as a scene of crime with controlled movements of those coming in to see patients.
Were CCTV cameras working at KNH?
Although police had earlier indicated that they would be relying on CCTV cameras to buttress their case against the suspect, the latest reports from the investigating officers have confirmed that the surveillance cameras near the crime scene were not working at the time the murder was committed.
This has raised more questions regarding the safety of the hospital and management's laxity in fixing the problem, particularly considering that the same reason was given when the first suspect was murdered in February.
A section of Kenyans has alleged that there could be a possibility of concerted efforts by hospital staff to cover up the mysterious deaths at the country's biggest health facility.
However, KNH has insisted that it has nothing to hide and its staff is willing to cooperate with investigators to unravel the truth.
Masolo Mabonga, HOD Current Affairs and Politics, updated this article with details on CCTV cameras at KNH.
Proofreading by Mercy Nyambura, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
