Health professionals have distanced themselves from the decision to hold a murder suspect at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), insisting the responsibility for the recent killing of a patient inside the facility lies solely with those who authorised the suspect’s stay.

The Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU) and the Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN) criticised the hospital’s management and security agencies for turning the referral facility into what they described as an unofficial holding ground for capital offenders.

“Hospitals are not places of holding criminals,” said KMPDU Secretary General Davji Atella. “People who made the decision should take full responsibility.”

The suspect in question was reportedly first admitted to KNH’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in November 2022. After being stabilised, he was transferred to the general ward, but could not be discharged due to being homeless.

The hospital eventually found him a home and released him in June 2024, only for him to return in December 2024 and be discharged again in January 2025.

In a turn of events, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) later linked him to the murder of Gilbert Kinyua and requested KNH to hold him pending investigations.

While still under the hospital’s care, the suspect allegedly killed another patient admitted to Ward 7B on July 11, 2025.

However, the unions argue that medical staff had no role in the suspect’s continued presence at the hospital.

KNUN Secretary General Seth Panyako strongly condemned the decision, stating that the individual was not a patient and, if he had mental health concerns, should have been referred to a secure facility such as Mathare Hospital.

“This is a clear case of institutional negligence,” said Panyako.

He added that the responsibility for admission lies squarely with the medical officer who evaluates the patient and determines the appropriate care. Panyako suggested that the suspect may have been deliberately housed at KNH under questionable circumstances.

“We could be dealing with a serial killer being housed in the hospital under suspicious circumstances,” he said. “KNH and the admitting doctor were fully aware that the suspect was not only a danger to other patients but also to healthcare workers.”

Panyako questioned why a person previously linked to a murder would be admitted again, pointing to possible interference from external forces. “Having a suspected capital offender admitted in a hospital might have been a case of corruption. Is it that he was admitted in hospital to prevent him from suffering in police cells,” he said.

In his response, KMPDU’s Atella placed the blame on the hospital and security agencies, saying doctors and other medical staff should not be expected to guarantee safety.

“Security of a patient is not guaranteed by a doctor,” said Atella. “The problem is the hospital.”

He said it is the responsibility of the hospital management, working with government agencies, to create a safe environment for both patients and staff.

“Are doctors and anyone working at the hospital safe in the environment?” he posed. “This is our concern,” said Atella.