The High Court has set free four nurses from Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) who had been charged with the murder of a patient in 2015, after ruling that the prosecution failed to prove the case.
In a judgment delivered on December 19, 2025, Lady Justice Kavedza Diana Rachel acquitted Priscilla Wairimu Njeru, Godfrey Murithi Gachora, Rosemary Nkonge, and Mary Muthoni Kamau, saying the evidence presented did not meet the legal standard required for a murder conviction.
The four nurses had been jointly accused of killing Cosmas Mutunga Kenyatta, a patient who had been admitted to Ward 8C at KNH. Prosecutors claimed the murder happened on the night of November 28–29, 2015, inside the hospital.
During the trial, the prosecution called 18 witnesses, including the patient’s relatives, hospital staff, security officers, and investigators. Witnesses told the court that the deceased had been visited by family members on November 28 and appeared well, alert, and able to communicate. However, the following morning, he was found dead in his hospital bed with serious injuries.
Investigators recovered a blood-stained metal bar from the ward, and blood was also found on the bedding and nearby surfaces. A government analyst confirmed that some of the blood matched the deceased’s DNA. However, the court heard that no forensic evidence linked any of the four nurses to the weapon or to the injuries that caused the patient’s death.
In their defence, the nurses said they were carrying out their normal night duties, including checking on patients and administering medication. They told the court that they discovered the injured patient during early morning rounds and immediately informed hospital security. All four denied harming the patient and said they had no personal conflict or prior relationship with him.
Justice Kavedza ruled that the case against the nurses was purely circumstantial and had serious weaknesses. She noted that the prosecution failed to prove motive, failed to present an eyewitness, and failed to connect the accused directly to the alleged murder weapon.
The judge also pointed out that Ward 8C had several unsecured access points, including doors and windows, making it possible for another person to enter the ward during the night. She added that the nurses’ actions after discovering the injured patient were consistent with medical staff responding to an emergency, not people trying to hide a crime.
“Although the death was violent and tragic, the evidence does not clearly point to the accused as the people responsible,” the judge said.
As a result, the court acquitted all four nurses and ordered their immediate release unless they were being held for other lawful reasons. The ruling brings to an end a case that had lasted nearly 10 years, offering relief to the accused while leaving the patient’s death unresolved.
