Court Acquits 4 KNH Employees In Cancer Patient’s Murder
Four Kenyatta National Hospital employees, including three nurses and a support staff worker, were cleared of murder charges in the case of cancer patient Cosmas Mutunga.
In court on Friday, December 19, the judge stated that there was insufficient evidence to link the suspects to the patient’s death.
The accused staff members faced allegations in connection with Cosmas Mutunga’s death on November 29, 2015.
Mutunga, 42, was taken to KNH on November 8 and discovered dead with several stab wounds, a fractured right leg, and one of his eyeballs gouged out.
The court stated that the accused did not act with malice or intent to kill, and that an unknown third party could have been engaged.
Cliff Ombeta Speaks After Kibera High Court Clears 4 KNH Nurses of Murder Charges
— Court Helicopter News (@CourtHelicopter) December 19, 2025
Lawyer Cliff Ombeta speaks after the Kibera High Court acquitted four Kenyatta National Hospital nurses accused of murdering a patient in 2015. The court ruled that the prosecution failed to prove… pic.twitter.com/RkLgjNtGnb
“The accused persons did not act with the intent to kill or cause grievous bodily harm, and there is no evidence to rebut the possibility that the fatal act was committed by an unknown third party,” the judge stated.
The judges underlined that Mutunga died in a hospital where others could have gotten access and where his pre-existing medical condition necessitated ongoing care.
As a result, the prosecution failed to offer sufficient evidence to gain a conviction, and all of the defendants were acquitted of the allegations.
Previously, the nurses and cleaners were taken for mental health evaluations to establish their ability to plead, as colleagues protested outside Milimani Law Courts in Nairobi.
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The Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN) criticised the arrests, suggesting that the staff were being used as scapegoats for security lapses at the hospital.
“This case should not overshadow the need for better hospital security and oversight,” KNUN noted during the period of the trial.
The accused were initially released on bail of Ksh 300,000 each in 2016, and the recent acquittal brings closure to a case that has lingered for over ten years.
The judge directed that the four suspects be released immediately, unless they are lawfully held for other reasons.
Court Acquits 4 KNH Employees In Cancer Patient’s Murder
