Senators have raised serious concerns about the state of mental health institutions in Kenya and are now demanding a thorough investigation following the killing of Susan Kamengere Njoki, the CEO and founder of Toto Touch Kenya, at Chiromo Hospital.

The lawmakers warned that growing regulatory gaps and mismanagement in mental health facilities, both public and private, are putting the lives of vulnerable patients at risk.

Speaking in the Senate on Tuesday, Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna called on the Senate Standing Committee on Health to swiftly look into operations within these institutions, citing poor oversight and lack of accountability in the mental health sector. He said Njoki’s killing on July 15 at Chiromo Hospital pointed to deeper systemic problems.

“The tragic murder of a patient at a private mental health facility on 15th July 2025 points to a serious lapse in oversight. We must interrogate whether the Ministry of Health is exercising adequate regulatory supervision over these institutions, particularly private ones,” Sifuna said.

Njoki was reportedly abducted from her home and forcibly taken to the Braeside branch of Chiromo Hospital Group, where she died a few hours later.

A postmortem conducted by government pathologist Dr J.N. Ndung’u confirmed she was killed through manual strangulation while still within the hospital premises.

“We have done this postmortem very exhaustively, and all the various parties were represented. There are no differing ideas. The bottom line findings were that there were features of compression to the neck, and those features are in keeping with manual strangulation,” said Dr Ndung’u at Montezuma Monalisa funeral home.

“There were also features of lack of oxygen in the blood as a result of neck compression, and all those features are in keeping with death as a result of manual strangulation, which we are all in consensus.”

Investigations by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) are currently ongoing. A female staff member believed to be linked to the incident reportedly vanished two days after Njoki’s body was found. Detectives have since launched a manhunt for the suspect, who has been named as a key person of interest.

CCTV footage retrieved from the hospital reportedly captured Njoki’s arrival on July 14 and traced her movement until the time of her death.

Senator Sifuna also wants the Health Committee to establish how many public mental health facilities currently exist in the country, and whether they are adequately staffed in terms of medical, security, and support teams.

He further called for a complete audit of all procedures, staffing structures and safety protocols in both public and private institutions dealing with mental health.

He said the committee must also review the regulatory laws guiding the operation of private mental hospitals, and share progress on the ongoing probe into Njoki’s death.

The Senate Health Committee is now expected to initiate a formal inquiry into the state of mental health institutions in the country and present a detailed report to the House.