Prisoner escapes from Thika Level 5 Hospital bed

Dr James Gakara — a gynaecologist in Nakuru — was fighting for his life at the Nakuru Level 5 Hospital under the watch of police officers

What you need to know:

  • Paul Wainaina, 33, was admitted to the hospital on April 28, 2016 and was being treated for convulsive disorder in the hospital’s male ward.
  • The hospital security team, however, did not notice anything unusual between 9pm and midnight, the period within which the prisoner escaped.
  • A patient who had been talking to the inmate while he was at the hospital said that Wainaina had planned the escape before it happened.

An inmate has escaped from a hospital bed in Thika where he had been handcuffed in unclear circumstances.

Thika Level 5 Hospital Nursing Officer Ruth Karani told Nation that she received information about a missing patient when she reported for duty Sunday morning.

"I reported to work at 7:30am and the team on night duty informed me that a prisoner who was being guarded by prison warders was missing from his bed," said Ms Karani.

Paul Wainaina, 33, was admitted to the hospital on April 28, 2016 and was being treated for convulsive disorder in the hospital’s male ward.

Ms Karani added that the hospital staff filled an abscondee form immediately and sent an alert to the police and prison authorities.

"Officers conducted a search but they did not trace him," added Ms Karani.

The hospital security team, however, did not notice anything unusual between 9pm and midnight, the period within which the prisoner escaped.

"Our nurses had administered the patient with some drugs at around 9pm. At that time, they did not notice anything unusual," said Ms Karani.

A patient who had been talking to the inmate while he was at the hospital said that Wainaina had planned the escape before it happened.

"A few days ago, he had asked me to join him in the planned escape but I refused and told him there was no way he could escape his defilement charges," said the patient.

"I slept after taking the last dose of the day at 9pm last night only to later wake up and find Wainaina missing from his bed at midnight,” added the patient.

The handcuffs that tied Wainaina, who was facing defilement charges, were left on his hospital bed.