Anger as patient in KNH rape case dies

PHOTO | JEFF ANGOTE | FILE A view of Kenyatta National Hospital.

What you need to know:

  • Woman accused nurse of assaulting her while she was admitted at facility

A patient who claimed she was raped by a nurse at Kenyatta National Hospital has died as the institution came under fire for the way it handled her case.

The patient, Ms Philis Nyaguthii, 28, died under unexplained circumstances on Wednesday morning and her family now says there was foul play in her death.

On Friday, Ms Nyaguthii’s father John Wachira said they would hire a pathologist to determine the cause of her daughter’s death.

“I do not believe that this is a natural death. The government should intervene and investigate to establish the actual cause of death,” he said in an interview with the Saturday Nation.

“We want an independent pathologist to perform a post-mortem on the body of our daughter who died in mysterious circumstances,” he added.

Last evening, the Coalition on Violence against Women, a non-governmental organisation that fights for women rights, also criticised the hospital, claiming its lawyers were not allowed to see the patient.

“Kenyatta National Hospital is a big disappointment. We were not allowed to access her. We are also aware that the suspect is a free man,” Covaw executive director Saida Ali said.

“We want the Inspector General of Police (David Kimaiyo) to intervene so we know why the police let the suspect go,” she added.

The patient was admitted to the hospital on April 10 with serious burns. But the family claimed her condition worsened as soon as she complained that a nurse had raped her. Last evening, Kenyatta National Hospital washed its hands over the handling of the nurse, saying police took over the matter.

“Our medical team worked hard and were committed to treat her. It is unfortunate that we did not succeed,” KNH head of public communications Simon Ithai said.

In April, Ms Nyaguthii was injured by a stove and referred to Kenyatta where she alleged that a nurse raped her.