Edward Maingi: Murdered KNH Patient Had Been Visited by Relative 30 Minutes Before Brutal Killing
- The murder of a patient inside a Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) ward has put the hospital in the spotlight again, just five months after a similar incident
- Edward Maingi was in ward 7B when he met his tragic end; this was just moments after a relative had visited him
- A cleaner discovered the murder after noticing a trail of blood, which led to Maingi's bed; the deceased was found to have a deep cut on the neck
Details have emerged regarding the circumstances in which a Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) patient died.
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Edward Maingi Ndegwa was killed inside Ward 7B, where he had been lying for six days; he was admitted to the hospital on July 11.
Who checked on Edward Maingi before murder?
On the fateful day, the on-duty nurse undertook the routine checks across the wards and took Maingi's blood pressure 30 minutes past noon, an hour after the initial check.
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After the nurse came a relative of Maingi, who checked up on him before leaving at 1.30pm.
"According to initial reports, the ward nurse had checked the patient at 11.30 am and taken his blood pressure. At 12.30pm, a relative visited and found him stable, leaving the ward at around 1.30pm," the DCI said.
The suspect, identified as Kennedy Kalombotole, is believed to have set in immediately after Maingi's relative left and allegedly killed him within 30 minutes.
Who discovered Edward Maingi's murder?
To learn about the murder was a cleaner, who was going about his role when he noted a trail of blood.
He followed the blood trail into the ward and discovered it emanated from the victim's neck, which had a deep cut.
"At approximately 2pm, a cleaner going round cleaning the corridor noticed blood pooling around the patient’s neck," the DCI said.
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The cleaner relayed the news to the hospital's management, which in turn contacted the investigative agencies.
Investigators from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) camped at the scene.
They recovered the murder weapon inside the ward: a knife covered in gloves.
"In the room, investigators recovered a pair of blue slippers and a blood-stained bedsheet. Also, on the ground, directly to the 7th floor where the window to the deceased's ward is, they recovered a knife wrapped in gloves. The recovered items were forwarded to the National Forensic Laboratory for detailed forensic analysis to augment the case," the DCI said.
"Upon visiting the scene, detectives noticed bloody slipper prints from the victim’s bedside to a nearby toilet and eventually to a side room, where the suspect, Kalombotole, was admitted," it added.
When else was murder reported at KNH?
Maingi's is not the first murder at the hospital.
In February this year, another patient was killed in the same ward, with the DCI suspecting that Kalombotole was still the one behind it.
Forty-year-old Gilbert Kinyua was found murdered in his bed, with a deep cut on the neck.
Kalombotole was arrested, and investigations were conducted, but the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) returned the case file, directing a reinforced investigation.
Proofreading by Mercy Nyambura, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
