KNH faces backlash as health unions question handling of suspect in patient murder
According to hospital records, the suspect was first admitted in November 2022 to the Intensive Care Unit. After initial treatment, he was moved to the general ward but could not be discharged due to homelessness.
The recent killing of a patient at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) has sparked serious concerns about security and management at the country’s largest referral hospital.
Health workers’ unions are pointing fingers at the hospital's officials and security agencies for allowing the suspect linked to the murder, Kennedy Kalombotole, to be held within the facility, putting other patients and staff at risk.
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The Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU) and the Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN) said that KNH should not have re-admitted Kalombotole after he was suspected of killing a patient on July 11, 2025, in Ward 7B.
“Hospitals are not places of holding criminals. People who made the decision should take full responsibility, knowing he was a capital offender,” said KMPDU Secretary General Davji Atella as quoted by the Standard.
According to hospital records, Kalombotole was first admitted in November 2022 to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). After initial treatment, he was moved to the general ward but could not be discharged due to homelessness.
The hospital found him accommodation in June 2024, but he returned to KNH in December 2024 and was discharged in January 2025.
In mid-2025, the suspect was connected to the murder of Gilbert Kinyua, and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) asked KNH to keep him in custody during investigations.
Nurses and doctors, however, state that the medical staff had no role in holding the suspect.
KNUN Secretary General Seth Panyako said the individual was not a patient and should have been referred to a secure psychiatric hospital if needed. “This is a clear case of institutional negligence,” he said.
Panyako also warned of a dangerous situation at the hospital, saying, “We could be dealing with a serial killer being housed in the hospital under suspicious circumstances.”
He added that the admitting doctor and hospital management must have known about the risk posed by the suspect, especially after his link to a previous murder.
“There may be corruption involved. Is it possible he was admitted to keep him out of police cells?” questioned Panyako.
Responding to the concerns, KMPDU's Atella shifted the blame to hospital management and security agencies.
“The security of a patient is not guaranteed by a doctor. The problem is the hospital,” said Atella, pointing out the need for hospital leadership to ensure a safe environment.
“Are doctors and hospital workers safe in this environment?” he posed, stressing the urgent need for better protection measures for staff and patients.
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