The mystery over the murder of a 39-year-old patient at the Kenyatta National Hospital deepened on Tuesday after staff and security personnel told investigators that there was no commotion at the hospital on the night the man was killed.
However, this latest testimony contradicts a preliminary finding by a Kilimani DCI officer who questioned several patients about the events of the night of February 6 before the homicide investigators took up the case.
One patient told investigators that there was commotion in the ward around midnight. However, none of the patients in the neighbouring ward saw the mystery attacker. Gilbert Kinyua was found dead in the ward on the morning of February 7.
Susan Wanjiku (right) with her husband Gilbert Kinyua, who was tragically murdered while in his hospital bed at Kenyatta National Hospital.
Photo credit: Pool
Homicide investigators have recorded statements from five individuals they believe may have crucial information that may help unmask Gilbert Kinyua’s killer.
Among those who have recorded statements with the police include security guards and staff on duty on the night of the murder.
On Tuesday, an officer close to the probe said security guards on duty last Thursday night said they were informed of the murder by a nurse who was doing a routine check on patients the following morning.
The investigators have also recorded statements of Kinyua’s wife, Susan Wanjiku.
The investigators are, however, yet to question a male patient who was in the same ward with the deceased.
A psychiatrist attending to the male patient, said to be recovering from a mental ailment, has not cleared detectives to engage him.
Emotional Susan Wanjiku, wife of Gilbert Kinyua, who was tragically murdered while in his hospital bed at Kenyatta National Hospital during an interview at their home in Dandora, Nairobi on February 8, 2025.
Photo credit: Bonface Bogita | Nation Media Group
Police believe that the patient could provide crucial details which may help unmask Mr Kinyua’s killer.
On Friday, crime scene investigators visited the hospital in search of leads into the murder.
The crime scene personnel reviewed CCTV footage of the previous nights but are yet to find any credible leads into the murder, a source familiar with the probe said on Saturday.
A kitchen knife that had been dropped onto the rooftop of the hospital’s first floor and which is believed to be the murder weapon is among the exhibits that the crime scene investigators have collected for fingerprint analysis.
Mr Kinyua was admitted to the hospital on December 11, 2024. He was found dead in his Ward 7B bed at KNH on Friday morning.
His throat had been slit, according to information provided to the police by hospital security.
A nurse, who was conducting a routine check on patients, discovered a bloodstained kitchen knife believed to be the murder weapon.
Detectives from Kilimani Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) visited the scene and recovered the knife.
A source familiar with the investigations claimed that the DCI was yet to obtain CCTV footage to assist with inquiries, as the security cameras were not working at the time of the incident.
The ward where the murder was committed was out of bounds when the Nation team visited the scene on Saturday.
Private guards from Flashcom security, who are contracted to provide security together with officers from Kenyatta Hospital police post, were deployed at the entrance to the ward to block access by the public.
On Friday, KNH in a statement to the media, confirmed the incident, and said the hospital was working alongside the police to unravel the murder.
“The hospital is working closely with law enforcement authorities and has launched an internal investigation to determine the facts surrounding the incident,” Dr W.K. Sigilai, the hospital’s acting chief executive officer, said in the statement.
“KNH remains committed to providing a safe and secure environment for all,” Dr Sigilai added.
He emphasized that the safety and well-being of patients, staff, and visitors were the hospital’s “utmost priority.”
