Machakos senator urges govt to build homes for stranded patients in hospitals
By Nancy Marende, July 24, 2025Machakos Senator Agnes Kavindu has called upon the government to build homes for patients who remain stranded in hospitals like the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) due to a lack of shelter.
Speaking during a Senate sitting on Thursday, July 24, 2025, Senator Kavindu expressed deep concern over the growing number of patients who, after receiving treatment and recovering, are unable to leave the hospital because they have no homes or family to return to.
“And for the patients who go to hospitals for treatment, recover, and are not discharged. Others are said to be lacking homes. The government should look for the welfare of such people and build homes for them to live in,” she stated.
The senator also raised concerns over the security of patients in hospitals after one was murdered at KNH’s ward C last week.
“It is saddening that a patient comes to the hospital to get treated, get better, and go home. But it is shocking for the patients at the hospital that someone can be murdered in a hospital; their recovery becomes very hard because they are worried that they might be killed next in a facility,” she said.
“We have many security officers in the country. I don’t know why the Ministry of Health cannot deploy enough officers to the hospitals to protect patients. This means even those of us walking out here, our safety is not guaranteed.”
Murder
This comes a few days after a Kibera court detained Kennedy Kalombotole, a person of interest in the murder, until Thursday, July 24, 2025, following his arraignment before Kibera Magistrate Daisy Mutai on Monday, July 21, 2025, through a miscellaneous application.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) sought to detain him for an additional 21 days to enable them to complete their investigations on the matter.
DCI informed the court that they require the said days for forensic analysis, DNA sampling, mental assessment, and witness interviews.
Additionally, DCI told the court that they also need to collect fingerprint impressions, take official statements from witnesses, and conduct a full autopsy and a mental health evaluation to determine Kalombotole’s fitness to stand trial for murder charges.
The Investigative Officer Benard Muange further stated that the circumstances surrounding the death of Edward Maingi Ndegwa, who was found dead in his hospital bed on July 17, 2025, remain suspicious and unresolved.
“The deceased was found murdered in his bed, and the manner of death has shocked both the hospital staff and the community. We are yet to obtain DNA samples from the Kolombotole for comparison with evidence collected from the scene and the deceased’s body,” Officer Muange told the court.
The State also told the court that the detention is also meant to ensure his safety, stating that if freed on bail, there could be a likelihood of him being harmed.
They stated that the incident has left the family of the deceased and the public in general in utter shock and anger.
“This case has caused considerable public outrage; releasing the respondent (Kalombotole) at this stage could endanger his safety,” the prosecution told the court.
However, defence lawyers led by Joshua Ombengi and Zephaniah Chapa opposed his continued detention, arguing that the suspect is still unwell and had been discharged from the hospital at the time of his arrest.
They urged the court to compel the DCI to produce medical reports to confirm the suspect’s medical condition from Kenyatta National Hospital and Nairobi Women’s Hospital, where he has been receiving treatment.
Magistrate Mutai ordered Kalombotole to be detained at Kilimani Police Station until Thursday, July 24, 2025.
Further, he directed the DCI to produce the two medical reports from Kenyatta National Hospital and Nairobi Women’s Hospital.