- Key suspect Kennedy Kalombotole arrested over gruesome KNH ward killing
- Victim Edward Maingi was found dead with a deep neck wound inside Ward 7B
- Kalombotole is linked to a second unsolved murder in the same hospital
- Knife, blood-stained sheet, slippers recovered; forensics ongoing
- Probe exposes serious lapses in public hospital security
A suspected serial killer has been arrested following the brutal murder of Edward Maingi Ndegwa, who was found dead inside a male ward at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) on Thursday, July 17.
Edward had been admitted to Ward 7B, Group C, since July 11. On the day of the killing, he was last seen alive at 1:30 p.m. after a nurse’s round and a relative’s visit. Just 30 minutes later, a cleaner stumbled upon his lifeless body with blood oozing from his neck.
Detectives at the scene followed bloody slipper prints from Maingi’s bed to a side room and toilet. A blood-stained bedsheet and a pair of slippers were found. The murder weapon, a knife wrapped in gloves, was recovered below a 7th-floor window.
All collected evidence has been taken to the National Forensic Laboratory for analysis.
Authorities have identified the suspect as Kennedy Kalombotole, the same man suspected in the February murder of Gilbert Kinyua Muthoni, 40, in Ward 7C. Kalombotole has reportedly been a patient at KNH since December 1, 2024.
In the earlier case, detectives had forwarded a file to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), which requested further investigation. His re-arrest now brings both murder cases back into focus.
The double murder has sparked public concern, with many questioning the safety of patients in government-run hospitals.
Calls are growing for urgent reforms, including proper mental health evaluations for long-term patients and improved ward surveillance.
“We cannot allow hospitals to become crime scenes. The Ministry of Health must move fast to secure these public spaces,” a senior official commented anonymously.
Kalombotole remains in custody as homicide detectives compile final evidence ahead of his arraignment.
