On Thursday, July 17TH, at 2 PM, Edward Maingi Ndegwa’s body was discovered lying lifeless on his hospital bed at the Kenyatta National Hospital. The victim, who had been admitted on the 12TH of July following a stroke, was found in blood-soaked beddings with his throat slit.
This incident comes six months after the death of 39-year-old Gilbert Kinyua, who was murdered on February 7TH at the Kenyatta National Hospital. Both of them were found with their throats slit, lying in bloody sheets, and they were also assigned the same ward.
These unfortunate events left Kenyans worried about the safety of patients at the KNH. In a statement released to the press, the KNH management expressed its regret over the loss of Edward’s life. The management also stated that investigations would be conducted to identify the culprit.
Upon further investigations, the DCI was able to discover a set of bloody footprints left behind by a pair of slippers. The trail led to prime suspect Kennedy Kalombotole’s room, where the DCI was able to discover the murder weapon (a knife wrapped in gloves, a pair of blue slippers, and a blood-stained bedsheet). The police arrested Kennedy on July 18TH after collecting the evidence.
Kalombotole is a 29-year-old homeless individual with no known relatives. He has a history with KNH dating back to his first admission in November 2022. He stayed at the hospital till June 2024, because the hospital was trying to trace his relatives but had no luck.
Eventually, the hospital ended up finding a care home for him, but shortly after, Kennedy fell sick and was readmitted. He stayed at the hospital from June 2024 to February 2025, when Gilbert was murdered. Although he was a person of interest, the evidence was not enough to incriminate him with Gilbert’s murder. Recently, with all the evidence that the police have gathered about Ndegwa’s murder, they are now convinced that Kennedy was the one who took Gilbert’s life.
On Monday, July 21st, Kennedy was presented before Principal Magistrate Daisy Mutahi at the Kibera Court for the court hearing. The prosecutors asked for twenty-one days to conduct investigations by obtaining DNA samples from the suspect. Kennedy’s lawyers, on the other hand, stated that their client is not of sound mind and is in need of medical care.
The magistrate ordered the KNH and the Nairobi Women’s Hospital to submit all the medical records belonging to Kennedy, which are to be presented on Thursday, before a decision is made on whether or not to give the prosecution three weeks to investigate. Kennedy is expected to remain in police custody until Thursday for the court hearing.
The KNH murders date back to November 2015 when Cosmas Mutunga was found stabbed 42 times with his eye gouged out. People are left wondering if patients are safe at the Kenyatta National Hospital. Is there a serial killer on the loose?
