Kenyatta National Hospital said the continued presence of Kennedy Kalombotole on its premises stemmed from guidance by investigators after he was earlier designated a person of interest in a prior ward killing, despite having been deemed fit for discharge. The second fatal incident unfolded on July 17, 2025, in Ward 7B, where patient Edward Maingi Ndegwa, admitted on July 11, was found dead early in the afternoon. Kalombotole was arrested shortly thereafter, and the two deaths are now being probed in tandem as a suspected pattern within adjacent male wards of the facility. Hospital administrators said they await investigative outcomes.
According to the reconstruction of events, a routine nursing check recorded the patient’s vitals at about 11:30 a.m., a relative visited around 12:30 p.m. and departed roughly an hour later, and at approximately 2:00 p.m. a cleaner noticed blood around the neck area of the bed occupant. Security and detectives were summoned, cordoned the scene, and followed a visible sequence of bloody slipper impressions from the bedside to a nearby toilet and onward to a side room. Inside, investigators recovered blue slippers and a blood‑stained bedsheet; outside below the seventh floor window they recovered a knife wrapped in gloves. Also.
Kalombotole’s history at the facility dates to an intensive care admission in November 2022, followed by transfer to a general ward where efforts to ascertain identity through fingerprint matching and public appeals were unsuccessful, and homelessness left him without external placement. In June 2024 a placement home was secured and he was discharged, but illness in December 2024 led to readmission; he was declared fit and discharged in January 2025, after which the home declined to receive him back. Lacking alternatives and under advisory tied to an earlier death, the hospital allowed his continued stay while seeking replacement shelter options.
The earlier fatal case under review involves patient Gilbert Kinyua, killed during the night spanning February 6–7, 2025, in Ward 7C, with investigative focus on Kalombotole leading to a case file sent to prosecutors and a request for further inquiries before charging. He is currently in custody pending processing and potential arraignment, while forensic analysis of collected items proceeds and the hospital cooperates with detectives. Inference: the circumstances highlight potential gaps in long‑stay non‑acute patient management, suggesting strengthened identity verification, risk stratification, supervised accommodation pathways, and enhanced ward access surveillance to mitigate future vulnerabilities and structured multidisciplinary post‑discharge planning protocols.
