'KNH is a safe facility,' Medical Director says after shocking murder of patient

Gilbert Kinyua Muthoni, 39, was found on a hospital bed with a slit throat on Friday morning and the murderer had taken flight.

KNH Medical Services Director Dr. William Sigilal said that despite the security breach, no alarm should be raised about the safety of patients and visitors since the hospital observes a high-level security procedure at its entrances and exits.

He intimated that a keen frisking procedure is always undertaken and security officers manning the facility are always on high alert.

Dr. Sigilal however said that a probe led by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) is underway to establish whether Kinyua's killer breached security or was already in the building before committing the crime.

"We don't have any evidence that someone walked in and committed the said crime. We've handed over the matter to DCI," he told the press on Sunday.

He also noted that all CCTV footage from Ward 7B has been availed to detectives, revealing that no CCTV cameras are installed in patient rooms for privacy reasons but they have been installed in all alleys.

He further noted that the hospital now remains on high alert to prevent the occurrence of a similar incident as another was witnessed in 2015.

"We are recognizing that a new threat is coming to the fore, an issue that has to be escalated," he noted, adding that the case is still in court.

Speaking with permission of Kinyua's family, Dr. Sigilal stated that the victim was admitted on December 11, 2024, after being referred from St.Mary's Lang'ata for special treatment.

"It was noted that Kinyua had developed pressure sores resulting from prolonged immobility. He was also diagnosed with a rare nerve condition that weakened his muscles. He therefore required what we call nursing care," noted Dr. Sigilal.

A 6 pm routine check, DR. Sigilal stated, showed that Kinyua was in a good state and 4 nurses were left in his ward to man the night shift.

It was only when a nurse doing a 6 am routine check found Kinyua's face covered with a blanket drenched in blood.

Upon further inspection, she discovered that Kinyua's throat was slit and she immediately alerted her fellow nurse, the hospital's security and the DCI.

He says that the hospital will support Kinyua's family as they prepare to bury their kin.

Kinyua's wife Susan Wanjiku told Citizen TV that after getting married in 2011,  life took a turn in 2018 when her husband was diagnosed with a mental health problem.

Since then, they had been in and out of hospital accumulating huge bills, up to the day he was murdered in a ward at KNH.

She has called for justice to be given in the mysterious case.