Kennedy Kalombotole, the prime suspect in the chilling murders of two patients in Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH)'s wards, has been charged with murder.
He was presented at the Kibera Law Courts in connection with the heinous crimes at KNH on Tuesday, July 29.
He did not enter a plea as the court ordered further mental health assessments at Mbagathi Hospital before the start of his trial. The court also ruled that he should be detained at Industrial Area Remand until the trial begins.
He is linked to the brutal killing of Edward Maingi Ndegwa on July 17, 2025, in Ward 7B, and is also the prime suspect in the earlier murder of Gilbert Kinyua Muthoni in Ward 7C in February 2025.
Investigations by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) revealed disturbing details, including the recovery of bloody slippers linked to Kalombotole, who had been a long-term homeless patient at the facility.
Kalombotole is accused of murdering Edward Maingi Ndegwa, a male patient at KNH who had been admitted to Ward 7B on July 11. KNH CEO William Sigilai confirmed that the patient was found dead after visiting hours, at around 2pm.
He said that a nurse checked on the patient on Thursday, July 17, at around 11:30am and took his blood pressure. At 12:30pm, a relative visited and found him stable before leaving the ward at 1:30pm.
The KNH murders have sparked widespread public outrage and significant concern over patient safety.
In response, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale recently ordered a comprehensive security overhaul across all national referral hospitals.
Duale directed the hospitals to limit visitors to two per patient, implement anonymous feedback tools, and provide staff training on patients' rights and safety to prevent such incidents from happening again.
“As a Ministry, we must safeguard the lives, rights, and dignity of all patients. We are committed to ensuring that such a tragedy does not happen again,” said CS Duale.
