NAIROBI, Kenya – July 23, 2025 — A chilling new twist emerged Wednesday in the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) double murder case as Kibera Law Courts Magistrate Daisy Mutahi acknowledged that the key suspect, Kennedy Kalombotole, is in poor health and requires immediate medical attention while in custody.
Kalombotole is under intense scrutiny for the gruesome murders of two KNH patients — Gilbert Kinyua Muthoni in February and Edward Maingi Ndegwa on July 17 — both of whom were found with their throats slit while in their hospital beds within the hospital’s general wards.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) arrested Kalombotole shortly after the second killing, with investigators tracing bloody slipper prints from the crime scene to a hidden side-room in the same ward. There, officers recovered a blood-stained knife wrapped in gloves, a soiled bedsheet, and slippers, all of which are now undergoing forensic analysis.
The suspect had already been under investigation in connection to the February murder. Although a file had been forwarded to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), it was returned to the DCI for further evidence. Despite being medically discharged from KNH in January, Kalombotole had remained at the facility, reportedly due to homelessness and at the direction of the DCI.
In court today, Kalombotole’s lawyer raised alarm over his client’s deteriorating condition, telling the magistrate that Kilimani Police Station lacks the facilities to store his essential medication. “My client requires cold storage and specialized medical care that cannot be provided at the current holding station,” the lawyer said.
The prosecution and defence agreed to consider Kenyatta National Hospital, Mbagathi Hospital, and Mama Lucy Hospital as potential secure treatment sites for the accused. Magistrate Mutahi indicated the court would rule on the matter of the suspect’s transfer by 12:30 p.m. today.
The case has sparked nationwide outrage, raising serious concerns over hospital safety protocols. Critics have blasted KNH for alleged security lapses, including the failure to monitor discharged but lingering patients, inadequate surveillance systems, and a breakdown in internal controls.
As the court deliberates on Kalombotole’s medical transfer, the ODPP continues to await final forensic results that could substantiate murder charges in a case now regarded as one of Kenya’s most disturbing hospital crime sagas in recent memory.
Written by Were Kelly
