Mathari Hospital Patient Hit by Matatu on Thika Road While Escaping From Hospital

A collage of screenshots from the accident scene where a man was hit while escaping from Mathari Hospital on January 5, 2023.
A collage of screenshots from the accident scene where a man was hit while escaping from Mathari Hospital on January 5, 2023.
Ma3route

A patient from Mathari Hospital on Thursday, January 5, escaped death by a whisker after he was hit by a matatu at Muthaiga along Thika Road.

Witnesses told the press that the man was knocked down while attempting to escape from Mathari Hospital - an institution that offers psychiatric services.

A video seen by Kenyans.co.ke showed the man dressed in an inmate's uniform and was surrounded by members of the public in the presence of police officers.

"A suspected prisoner has been hit by a matatu at Muthaiga while trying to run away from Mathari Hospital," a witness stated. 

Entrance to Mathari Hospital, Nairobi
Entrance to Mathari Hospital, Nairobi
File

Pedestrians and motorists using the highway stopped or slowed down to gaze at the casualty as one of the officers was constantly making phone calls.

The accident elicited an online debate with a section of Twitter users questioning why the man was left unattended despite signs of being in pain. 

“No one is trying to help the injured, do we lack training, or do we just enjoy congregating and watching people bleed out?” Eric Nyaga wondered. 

Others commented on the unlucky fate of the man in his attempt to secure freedom, only to be injured in the process. 

"When bad luck chooses you, a ripe banana can pluck your teeth," James Karanja sarcastically observed. 

The hospital's management was yet to comment on the incident by the time of publishing this story. 

There, however, were no casualties reported from the accident involving a Nairobi CBD matatu bound for Outer Ring Road.

In a similar case, a prisoner escaped from Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) while receiving medical care at the hospital in 2015. 

Despite being under the watch of the police, the man - who was serving a 14-year jail sentence at Kamiti Maximum Prison - vanished under what remained to be mysterious circumstances. 

Mathari Teaching and Referral Hospital.
A signpost of the Mathari Teaching and Referral Hospital in Nairobi.
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