Detectives are investigating
an incident in which a patient was found dead after suspected suicide in an
isolated ward at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH), Eldoret.
The body of Enock Kisuru, 48
was found hanging on a window grill after a suspected suicide on Saturday,
February 15 afternoon.
CEO Dr Phillip Kirwa confirmed the incident and said the mental
ward patient had turned violent and had been locked up in a strong room where
he was alone.
He said usually, such violent patients are isolated from others
and placed in a strong room to prevent them from harming others.
“He used his clothes to commit suicide in the room where he was
alone,” said Kirwa.
He said the case had been reported to the police and the family
“The family members are expected today (Monday) at MTRH and
police are also handling the matter,” said Dr Kirwa.
Kirwa who spoke to the Star on the phone said the hospital would give a statement on the matter.
The report on the incident was
also reported at Naiberi Police Station.
The report was filed by
Inspector of Police Philemon Sirwa who is in charge of the Critical
Infrastructure Protection Unit (CIPU) at MTRH.
“It was established from the
nurse of the said ward that the deceased became violent to other mental
patients and was taken to a secure room within the male ward at 1230hrs,” the OB
report stated.
“Later at 1345hrs when they
went to check on him they found him hanging on the window grill using his clothes
[patient’s mental uniform].”
It was then police were called
to the scene for processing.
Police said they are investigating
the incident.
The incident comes as a probe
is ongoing on the murder of a patient at the Kenyatta National Hospital ward.
Police said they had
interrogated a number of people over the murder of the patient whose neck was
slit by an unknown assailant on February 7.
No arrest has been made
over the murder of Geoffrey Kinyua who was nursing cerebral complications.
The incidents raise the issue of security of patients in hospitals
at large.
