The High Court acquitted four Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) staff members charged with the 2015 murder of a patient, finding that the prosecution failed to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
Lady Justice Kavedza Diana Rachel ruled on December 19, 2025 that the evidence presented against Priscilla Wairimu Njeru, Godfrey Murithi Gachora, Rosemary Nkonge and Mary Muthoni Kamau did not meet the legal threshold required to sustain a murder conviction.
The four had been jointly charged with the murder of Cosmas Mutunga Kenyatta, who was admitted to Ward 8C at KNH.
The prosecution alleged that the offence occurred on the night of November 28 and 29, 2015, within the hospital premises.
During the trial, the prosecution called 18 witnesses, including family members, hospital staff, security officers and investigators.
Witnesses testified that the deceased had been visited by relatives on November 28 and appeared alert and communicative.
A government analyst later confirmed that blood found on some exhibits matched the deceased’s DNA. However, no forensic evidence linked any of the accused persons to the weapon or to the injuries sustained by the deceased.
The accused nurses testified that they were performing routine night duties, including administering medication and checking patients.
They stated that they discovered the injured patient during early morning rounds and immediately alerted hospital security. All denied any involvement in the death and said they had no prior relationship or dispute with the deceased.
Justice Kavedza noted that the prosecution’s case was entirely circumstantial and suffered from major gaps.
The court found that no motive had been established, no eyewitness had placed any of the accused at the scene of the attack, and no forensic evidence directly connected them to the alleged murder weapon.
The judge also observed that Ward 8C had multiple access points, including doors and windows that were not fully secured, making it possible for an unknown third party to have entered the ward.
She further held that the conduct of the accused after discovering the deceased was consistent with that of medical professionals responding to an emergency, not perpetrators attempting to conceal a crime.
Citing established principles on circumstantial evidence and the presumption of innocence, the court ruled that the prosecution had failed to exclude reasonable doubt or alternative explanations for the death.
“While the death of the deceased was violent and tragic, the evidence does not irresistibly point to the accused persons as the perpetrators,” the judge held.
Consequently, the court acquitted all four accused persons of the charge of murder and ordered their immediate release unless otherwise lawfully held.
KNH has had such deaths at the wards and they all remain under probe.
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