Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

top

Kenya

KNH cautions against speculation on patient murder

KNH Chief Executive Officer Lilly Koros. Photo/ FILE

KNH Chief Executive Officer Lilly Koros. Photo/ FILE

NAIROBI, Kenya Nov 30 – The management of the Kenyatta National Hospital has cautioned the public against speculating on the cause of death for a cancer patient who was found murdered in his bed on Sunday morning.

42-year-old Cosmas Mutunga had been admitted at the hospital’s Ward 8C but was found dead with stab wounds and one of his eyes had been gouged out.

KNH Chief Executive Officer Lily Koros Tare called for patience as the police conducted investigations to the matter.

“It is a very unfortunate situation, but it does not mean that the security was not there. I think what we want to say at this point is that the case is under investigation so we even don’t know as at now whether someone came from out or someone within, so let’s leave this to the police,” she told a news conference.

“I want to reiterate that there is safety in the institution because we handle more than 2,000 patients at any time, this is why I have said it is an isolated case.”

Ever since the news of the incident broke, speculation has been rife with some sectors of the public pointing a finger at a fellow patient shared the ward with the deceased with while others pointed to the negligence by the hospital staff.

The region’s biggest referral hospital hopes a post mortem examination on the body is expected to be conducted to establish the cause of the death.

Police are questioning three nurses and a security guard who were on duty on Saturday night.

A nurse who has recorded a statement with the police said that he went to the ward later and found Mutunga’s body lying in a pool of blood.

Police are looking for a sign language interpreter to aid in communication with the other patient who has both hearing and speech impairment.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

Mutunga’s face had several injuries, which police said could have been caused by a blunt object.

KNH Assistant Director of Special Surgery Unit Dr Joel Lessan who was the first doctor to arrive at the scene has however dismissed police reports that the deceased’s right leg was broken between the knee and the ankle.

Dr Lessan told journalists that upon the discovery of the body, they contacted the deceased’s widow and brother informing her that her husband had been attacked inside the ward.

He discounted claims that the murder scene had been tempered with, saying the body was not moved until after the police had finished collecting samples.

The deceased brother said a doctor saw Mutunga on Sunday at around 4am and gave him some drugs.

About The Author

Comments
Advertisement

More on Capital News