Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) arrested the prime suspect behind the gruesome murder of a patient at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) just hours after the crime.
The swift response has sparked cautious praise but also renewed fears among Kenyans, who remember how a previous murder case in Kware collapsed after police paraded a fake suspect who later escaped from jail.
This time, the public is watching closely and demanding justice, not another botched investigation.
KNH Murder Suspect Arrested in Record Time After Bloody Clues Left in Ward
Homicide detectives wasted no time after being alerted to a disturbing murder on Thursday, July 17, at KNH’s Ward 7B.
Edward Maingi Ndegwa, a male patient who had been stable just an hour earlier, was found dead with blood gushing from his neck. A cleaner on routine duty made the shocking discovery at around 2 pm, sending the hospital into panic and alerting security and law enforcement.
When DCI detectives arrived, they quickly turned the scene into a crime lab. What followed was a methodical and relentless pursuit of the killer.
Bloody slipper prints led officers from Ndegwa’s hospital bed to a nearby toilet, then on to a side room in the hospital. There, they found the suspect lying low—quite literally hiding in plain sight among other patients.
In the same room, officers recovered blue slippers smeared with blood, a blood-stained bedsheet, and a knife carefully wrapped in gloves. These items were submitted to the National Forensic Laboratory for detailed analysis.
The evidence was overwhelming. Investigators immediately placed the suspect under arrest and took him into custody. He is currently undergoing processing and will be arraigned in court soon.
Suspect Tied to Another KNH Killing Months Earlier
What’s more disturbing is that this wasn’t the first time the suspect had been linked to a killing inside KNH. Preliminary investigations have revealed that the man had been admitted to the same facility since December 1, 2024.
In that time, he is believed to have committed another murder—the killing of 40-year-old Gilbert Kinyua, who died under mysterious circumstances in Ward 7C on the night of February 6–7.
Following Kinyua’s death, detectives opened a file and submitted it to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP). However, the ODPP sent the file back, directing the DCI to carry out further investigations before they could proceed with charges.
That delay may have cost Edward Maingi his life. With the new arrest, detectives now have more than one case pinned on the same suspect.
It raises chilling questions: how could a suspected killer continue living among patients for months without being removed? And what kind of security loopholes exist in the country’s biggest referral hospital?
Kenyans Demand Real Justice After Kware Case Embarrassment
The arrest has stirred both relief and anxiety among Kenyans who are still haunted by the shameful handling of the Kware killings.
In that case, police dramatically arrested Collins Jomaisi Khalisia and paraded him as the prime suspect in a series of murders. He was locked up in remand but later escaped—a humiliation for law enforcement. To date, Khalisia has never been re-arrested.
Many now fear the KNH case could follow a similar script if authorities don’t act with seriousness, transparency, and urgency.
“This time, we must see a real trial, not media theatrics,” one Nairobi resident said online. “We don’t want another ghost suspect who disappears after being paraded before cameras.”
The Ministry of Health and KNH’s top management have also come under pressure. How did a hospital—one that treats some of the country’s most vulnerable patients—become a crime scene twice in less than a year? What are the protocols for ensuring the safety of patients?
So far, KNH has not released a detailed public statement, though it is expected to do so in the coming days as pressure mounts from both the public and health workers’ unions.
