No Proof Patient Was Killed By An Outsider, KNH Says

The Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) has stated that there is currently no evidence to suggest an intruder was involved in the death of Gilbert Kinyua Muthoni, who was found motionless in his hospital bed with a deep neck wound on Friday at 6 a.m.

A nurse discovered Kinyua with his face covered by a blood-stained sheet and immediately alerted hospital staff and security. The area was promptly secured as a crime scene.

Another patient in the ward, who was receiving treatment for a similar condition, was too weak to provide any details about the incident.

Detectives recovered a blood-stained kitchen knife on the ground floor, believed to have been thrown out of a nearby window. Police suspect that an intruder may have accessed the ward, killed Kinyua, and then fled the scene.

However, the hospital’s CCTV cameras were not operational at the time, complicating efforts to determine how the assailant entered or exited the premises.

Addressing the media on Sunday, KNH CEO William Sigilai expressed his condolences to Kinyua’s family and assured them of the hospital’s full support during this difficult time.

He clarified that Kinyua had been referred to KNH from St. Mary’s Hospital in Lang’ata on December 11, 2024, and was admitted to Ward 7B, which specializes in neurological disorders. The hospital emphasized that this ward is not designated for mental health conditions, contrary to some reports.

Kinyua had been diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder that caused severe muscle weakness in all his limbs, requiring total nursing care, including tube feeding. Despite his critical condition, the hospital maintained that he had remained stable.

“On the night before his death, routine checks were conducted at 9 p.m., midnight, and 3 a.m., and no abnormalities were reported,” Sigilai stated. “However, at around 6 a.m., nurses found him unresponsive with his face covered and a deep wound on his neck,” he added.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has taken over the case. Detectives recovered a blood-stained kitchen knife on the ground floor, believed to have been thrown from a nearby window. Police are investigating the possibility that an intruder gained access to the ward, killed Kinyua, and then escaped.

This incident has revived memories of a similar murder at the hospital nine years ago. In November 2015, a cancer patient was brutally attacked in his hospital bed, sustaining stab wounds and having one of his eyes gouged out. The only witness was another incapacitated patient who was unable to provide any information about the incident.

Police have urged anyone with information to come forward as they investigate the circumstances surrounding Kinyua’s murder and assess potential security lapses at the hospital.

KNH has assured the public that it is fully cooperating with the authorities to determine the circumstances of Kinyua’s death.