Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations have arrested Kennedy Kalombotole in connection with two separate killings at Kenyatta National Hospital, reigniting public concern over security lapses at the national referral facility. Kalombotole is the prime suspect in the death of Edward Maingi Ndegwa, found fatally wounded in Ward 7B, Group C (Male) on July 17, 2025, six days after his admission on July 11.
A preliminary reconstruction places Ndegwa alive and stable when a nurse took his vitals at 11:30 a.m. A relative visited at 12:30 p.m. and left around 1:30 p.m. Roughly 30 minutes later, a cleaner in the corridor noticed blood pooling at Ndegwa’s neck area. Responding officers documented bloody slipper prints leading from the bedside toward a toilet, then into an adjacent side room where Kalombotole was admitted as a patient. Investigators recovered blue slippers and a blood‑stained bedsheet there.
Outside the building, directly below the seventh‑floor window aligned with the ward, detectives recovered a knife wrapped in gloves. These items, together with additional trace evidence, have been forwarded to the National Forensic Laboratory for analysis to link the weapon, blood, and biological material to persons and locations within the ward sequence.
Authorities say the arrest also revives an earlier, unresolved homicide inside KNH. Kalombotole, hospitalized at the facility since December 1, 2024, has emerged as the principal suspect in the killing of Gilbert Kinyua Muthoni, 40, who was slain in Ward 7C during the night spanning February 6–7, 2025. That case had raised difficult questions about patient supervision, access control, and internal alert systems; the latest incident has sharpened those concerns.
Investigators have compiled a case file and forwarded it to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. Prosecutors have requested further inquiries to strengthen evidentiary links before charges are filed, including forensic comparisons between the two deaths, movement logs within the hospital, and interviews with clinical and support staff who interacted with the suspect.
Kalombotole remains in police custody as processing continues. Authorities indicate he will be presented in court once the additional investigative directions are satisfied. Meanwhile, renewed scrutiny is expected on KNH’s ward security protocols, visitor management, surveillance coverage, and staffing ratios areas now central to public confidence in patient safety at Kenya’s largest hospital.
Families of both victims are demanding clear answers, while health advocates and lawmakers are urging an independent security audit across public hospitals to prevent further ward‑level violence.
