How KNH's security lapses failed a helpless patient

In a disturbing tragedy that has sparked anger, Gilbert Kinyua Muthoni’s throat was slit inside what should have been the safest place for recovery-a hospital ward at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), the country's largest referral facility.

The brutal killing carried out in cold blood within supposedly secure walls has raised unsettling questions about security at the iconic institution tasked with saving lives.

How did an outsider-or worse, perhaps even an insider-bypass security protocol to gain access to a defenceless patient and snuff out his life? Did the CCTV cameras miss out on who gets in and outside the said ward? And who will finally step forward and take responsibility for this catastrophic betrayal of trust?

With about 4000 patients, staff, and visitors passing through KNH daily, the incident has exposed the glaring security gaps that endanger every life within its premises.

Despite the presence of private security guards, police officers, and even a nearby police post, this tragic breach still happened unabated and what now exposes serious salient systemic failure.

Yet KNH’s response has been disturbingly tone-deaf-suggesting patients bear responsibility for their own security.

Some healthcare workers, led by Kenya Union of Clinical Officers' Secretary-General George Gibore, have come out to demand for full accountability.

"Someone must take full responsibility. This is a gross failure of duty. Beyond healthcare, KNH has a fundamental obligation to protect its patients and staff," he stated.

“In any serious jurisdiction, such a monumental lapse would trigger swift resignations and a public admission of guilt,” added Gibore.

On December 11, Susan Wanjiku took her husband, Gilbert Kinyua, to KNH hoping for his full recovery. He had battled for nearly a year after an operation at St. Mary’s Hospital Lang’ata, leaving him with a wound that refused to heal. What was meant to be the final step toward his recovery however turned into a nightmare that no family should ever endure.

 “It’s been a tough year,” Wanjiku recalls, her voice breaking with emotion. “I struggled to pay hospital bills, care for our children, and support my husband. Now, after everything, he is dead. He was killed.”

A father of two young boys, Kinyua, who was orphaned at a young age, had promised to give his children the best life he could. But on the morning of February 7, the 38-year-old was found dead in his hospital bed, his throat slit in a ward that housed six other patients.

Currently, KNH has the capacity of 2,400 beds, serving nearly a million inpatients and 800,000 outpatients annually.

“We are deeply saddened to confirm the tragic death of a patient at Kenyatta National Hospital,” the hospital management said in a statement. “We are working closely with law enforcement authorities and have launched an internal investigation.”

Initially, there were claims that Kinyua was in a psychiatric ward, but his family and even the hospital have refuted the reports.

“He was in general medical ward 7B, sharing space with other patients,” Wanjiku clarified, adding, “And if anything could have happened to him I am sure the six patients would have heard the commotion or would have noticed.”

Hospital sources later claimed a psychiatric patient had stabbed Kinyua and thrown the murder weapon out of a window. A hospital official who did not want to be mentioned said that bloodstains found on a fellow patient’s slippers and bed only deepened the mystery.

However, Wanjiku dismissed these explanations as an attempt to cover up the hospital’s security failures.

“The officials told me my husband was killed by an intruder,” she said. “If that’s true, how did an outsider gain access to the ward, bypassing security? How does someone bring a knife into a hospital?”

Wanjiku said that just like other hundreds of thousands of patients, his weak husband, recovering slowly was in the hospital trusting the hospital for security and treatment.

"I just want justice for my husband. It is painful,” she told the Standard on the phone.

A police report confirmed that Kinyua’s body was discovered at 6 a.m. during routine ward rounds. A blood-stained knife was later found on a rooftop, suspected to be the murder weapon. Despite the public uproar this matter has ignited, The Standard has learnt that to date, no arrests have been made.

“They told me my husband was fine at 2 a.m. during the night checks. By 6 a.m., he was dead,” Wanjiku said. “The hospital says they don’t know what happened. How is that possible?”

Adding to her anguish, Wanjiku revealed the hospital’s CCTV cameras were reportedly not functioning at the time of the incident. “It was difficult for me to even enter the hospital that morning,” she recalled. “I had to show security a special number before they let me in. So how did a killer slip through unnoticed?”

Patients at the hospital explained that the facility had been crowded and that they were unable to identify people around.

"We are in panic because as you can see we are many people here. We are even sleeping close to strangers, and its very risky," a patient who did not want to mention explained.

However, the Hospital CEO then said that the CCTV cameras were operational when he was killed in a hospital ward, adding that security measures have been enhanced as investigations continue.

“KNH is cooperating fully with the law enforcement agencies and is committed not to prejudice the ongoing investigation. The post-mortem examination of the deceased's body will be conducted as directed by the DCI. KNH has an elaborate security system in place, including CCTV cameras in common areas,” the CEO said.

It has emerged that the bedridden Kinyua could not fight at the point of the aggression due to his sickly condition.

 “He was a calm, God-fearing man. He avoided confrontations,” Wanjiku said. “He never had conflicts with anyone. He did not deserve this.”

KNH has since issued another statement reiterating its cooperation with investigators. “We have heightened security across the hospital to ensure the safety of patients, staff, and visitors,” the management assured. “We urge the public to allow the DCI to conduct its investigations without speculation.”

For Wanjiku, however, assurances mean little. Her husband was supposed to heal, not be taken from her in such a horrific manner. Now, she is left to raise their two children alone, haunted by the thought that Kinyua’s final moments were filled with terror.

“I demand justice,” she said. “I brought my husband to KNH because I trusted it. Now, I am burying him because of their failure to protect him.”

The mystery surrounding the gruesome murder seems to be deepening, with the hospital management distancing itself from responsibility and instead shifting the matter to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).

Kinyua had been admitted at KNH since December 11, 2024, after being referred from St. Mary’s Hospital in Lang’ata.

According to KNH management, he was receiving treatment at Ward 7B, a section of the hospital specializing in patients with neurological disorders.

However, on the morning of Friday, February 7, Kinyua was found dead by a nurse conducting routine ward rounds at around 6 a.m. His throat had been slit, and his face was covered with a blood-stained sheet.

According to KNH, ward 7B housed 54 patients on that fateful night, with four nurses on duty, performing routine check-ups at 9 p.m, midnight, 3 a.m., and 6 a.m.

KNH management insists that nothing appeared unusual during the earlier checks.

Dr. William Sigilai, the KNH acting Chief Executive Officer, stated that in light of the incident, they have now heightened and enhanced security measures across the hospital.

“CCTV cameras are not positioned to monitor individual patient cubicles due to privacy concerns,” Sigilai explained. “They only cover public areas such as corridors and open spaces. The footage is with the DCI, and we are cooperating fully.”

Yet, despite KNH’s reassurances, the incident has cast a long shadow over the safety of thousands of patients treated at the hospital every day. If a patient in a specialized ward can be killed without immediate detection, what does this say about the security of other patients at KNH?

Investigators say a bloodstained knife, believed to be the weapon used in the murder, was later found on a rooftop.

“My husband was supposed to heal here, not be killed,” said Wanjiku. “I trusted KNH. Now, I am burying him because they failed to protect him.”