Court finds Kennedy Kalombotole fit to take plea in KNH patient deaths case

The High Court in Kibera has directed that Kennedy Kalombotole, the main suspect in the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) patient killings, take a plea on September 30.

This follows confirmation that Kalombotole is fit to stand trial after undergoing a mental assessment.

During a virtual session on Thursday, Justice Diana Kavedza noted that she had not yet seen the assessment report but was informed that the findings declared Kalombotole fit to plead despite his medical condition, including diabetes.

The judge also sought assurance that he had been receiving treatment while in custody at Nairobi Remand Prison.

"I want to know if he underwent treatment, given that he is diabetic," Justice Kavedza said.

Gone for lunch

At one point, the court inquired about Kalombotole’s absence from the session. A prison officer explained that he was unavailable because he had gone for lunch.

Although the report was not before the judge at the time, the confirmation provided was considered sufficient for the court to issue directions. Justice Kavedza ordered that Kalombotole appear physically in court on September 30 for plea-taking.

The suspect, who had earlier failed to take a plea on July 29, 2025, appeared composed in the dock before Justice Kavedza but did not respond when addressed by the judge. This contradicts police statements that he was able to communicate verbally.

His defence told the court that he does not verbalise and added that earlier directions for a mental evaluation at Mbagathi Hospital had not been carried out at the time.

Prosecutor Gikui Gichuhi confirmed that the evaluation had not been conducted earlier and asked the court to issue fresh directions to allow the case to proceed.

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