Other than Barasa, Cherargei extended the resignation call to the Principal Secretary for Health, without specifying the state department
Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei now wants Health Cabinet Secretary Deborah Barasa to resign following the murder of a patient at the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH).
In a statement on Friday, February 7, the Senator, an ally of President William Ruto, contended that the murder highlighted a significant security lapse at the country’s largest referral hospital.Â
Other than Barasa, Cherargei extended the resignation call to the Principal Secretary for Health, without specifying the state department. He also urged the facility’s management to consider stepping down from their positions.
“It’s only in Kenya where in the top referral hospital by the name Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) that a stranger walks into a hospital ward and stabs to death a patient.
Gilbert Kinyua, who was found dead in his hospital bed at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), February 7, 2025. /CITIZEN TV
“The Cabinet Secretary of Health, PS Health and KNH management must take personal responsibility for these security lapses and resign! My condolences to the loved ones of the deceased patient,” he wrote.
Cherargei’s appeal to the foregoing persons was underscored by Nairobi woman representative Esther Passaris on Saturday, February 8. According to her, the hospital’s management ought to be transparent as the probe into the murder continues.
“These repeated lapses in security are a matter of serious concern. It is imperative that KNH provide transparency and accountability. KNH must take immediate and concrete measures to ensure the safety and security of patients and staff,” she stated in a thread on X.
The patient, Gilbert Kinyua was discovered dead in his hospital bed during a routine check by the night nurse on the morning of Friday, February 7. Initial investigations suggested that the murder may have occurred between the 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. routine checks.
Reports indicated that the incident took place in the psychiatric ward and may have resulted from an attack by another patient.Â
As the two patients had shared the ward’s cubicles, it is believed that a patient may have killed his roommate after bloodstains were discovered on his slippers. Furthermore, a knife with bloodstains was found and is suspected to have been used in the incident.
Kinyua’s wife who spoke to the press revealed that she got a call from the hospital – where she was required to go and identify a body. Susan Wanjiku said she was later informed that her husband had been murdered under mysterious circumstances.
Wanjiku stated that she did not know who would want to harm her husband even as investigations into the incident continue.
“They called me and told me to go to the hospital to identify the body. After that, I was informed that his death was not natural and it was murder, his throat was slit. I do not know who did that beastly act,” she stated, adding “I was told to wait for the investigations to be completed. We will be told what is next after that.”
It is expected that KNH staff will be required by detectives to shed more light on the matter amidst the ongoing investigations into the incident, which raised questions amongst members of the public regarding the safety of Kenyans seeking treatment in various hospitals across the country.
