The High Court has ordered a fresh psychiatric evaluation for Kennedy Kalombotole, the man accused of murdering a fellow patient at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) — a case that has exposed the dark, often unseen struggles within Kenya’s largest referral facility.
Lady Justice Diana Kavedza, sitting at the Kibera High Court, on Thursday directed that a psychiatrist from KNH be granted access to Nairobi Remand Prison to carry out a second mental assessment on the accused.
According to a statement by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), the reassessment will determine whether Kalombotole is mentally fit to stand trial over the alleged killing of patient Edward Mangi Ndegwa earlier this year.
“The High Court sitting in Kibera has ordered a fresh mental assessment for a patient accused of killing another patient at Kenyatta National Hospital,” read part of the ODPP statement.
Justice Kavedza further instructed prison authorities to ensure the accused continues receiving treatment for diabetes and other chronic conditions while in custody. The results of the new psychiatric evaluation will guide the next steps in the trial, which is set for mention on November 13, 2025.
The Troubled Life of a Forgotten Patient
Court records and hospital statements reveal that Kalombotole’s story is one marked by illness, abandonment, and tragedy. He was first admitted to KNH’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in November 2022, before being transferred to the general ward.
Lacking identification and known relatives, the hospital says it made repeated attempts to trace his family — even posting his photo on social media — but all efforts failed.
“Being a homeless person with no known relatives nor proven identity, he stayed on in the Hospital even as efforts to identify him through fingerprint and social media searches continued,” KNH said in a statement.
In June 2024, the hospital managed to secure a home for him, but his health deteriorated again by December 2024, forcing another readmission. When KNH discharged him in January 2025, the home refused to take him back, leaving him stranded once more at the hospital.
From Patient to Suspect
The case took a dark turn in July 2025, when a patient identified as Edward Mangi Ndegwa was found dead under mysterious circumstances in one of KNH’s wards. Kalombotole, then a long-term patient at the facility, was later arrested in connection with the killing.
Hospital officials confirmed that he was already a person of interest in a separate case — the suspicious death of another patient, Gilbert Kinyua, earlier in the year.
“Following the death of patient Gilbert Kinyua, the DCI flagged the suspect as a person of interest and advised the Hospital to hold him pending the conclusion of investigations,” KNH noted.
A System Under Strain
The disturbing case has sparked debate about Kenya’s healthcare and social welfare systems — and the moral dilemmas hospitals face when caring for unidentified or homeless patients.
KNH emphasized that it had no intention of hosting the suspect indefinitely, but was forced to keep him within the facility for lack of alternatives and direction from authorities.
“The Hospital did not intend or desire to host him permanently. However, with no home willing to readmit him and pending direction from the DCI, we had no choice but to continue with his stay,” the hospital clarified.
As the nation awaits the results of the second mental evaluation, the KNH case has become a sobering reminder of how fragile the line can be between care and crisis, especially for society’s most vulnerable.
Leave a Reply