Mysterious murder of Nakuru intern medic: Friends recall last moments

Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations are piecing together information to unravel circumstances surrounding the mysterious murder of an intern physician at the Nakuru Level Five Hospital.

The body of the medic, Laban Kiptoo Langat, 26, attached to the hospital’s Margaret Kenyatta Mother-Baby Maternity wing, was discovered by security guards, in a trench outside the facility, at about 7am on Saturday.

His colleagues at the facility-South Rift’s largest hospital say Kiptoo was on duty on Friday, hours before he met his death.

A close friend of Kiptoo revealed to the Nation, that they spoke on Friday, when he informed her, that he had a patient at the maternity wing’s theater, and around 6pm he told her that he had completed his work.

Details have emerged that around 8pm, Kiptoo got in touch with the friend through WhatsApp messages and even informed her that he would be attending a rugby game at the Nakuru Athletic Club on Saturday morning.

“We spoke until 11pm on Saturday, I was so tired and therefore l dozed off. I woke up at around 4:45 am and I decided to respond to some of his last messages, from the previous night, but l was shocked,l got no response. I was worried, but l decided that l would call him later so that we talk,” revealed the friend who sought anonymity, because of the sensitivity of the matter.

“He had not mentioned to me that he would be going out on Saturday night as every time he would go out he would tell me. I learned of his death later on Saturday morning, through a friend, that his lifeless body had been found in a trench. This left me deeply shocked and l am yet to come to terms with the incident,” added the friend.

The Nation has established that Kiptoo lived within the hospital.

His friends and colleagues say he was a social, humble and kind person, whose life was cut short at the prime of his career.

Kiptoo graduated in February 2023 from Egerton University where he pursued Medicine and Surgery for seven years.
And a the time he met his death he was an intern at the maternity wing of the Nakuru Level Five Hospital.

He had served at the facility as an intern since August 2023.

His mysterious murder has now left his colleagues in panic and fear.

On Friday he was fine and at work, a few hours later, his lifeless body lay in a ditch outside the hospital. What happened? Who wanted Mr Kiptoo dead and why? What was the motive of his killers?

These are some of the hard questions his family is grappling with.

A senior detective revealed to the Nation, that they are piecing together information in a bid to unravel the bizarre murder, that has sparked a security scare among medics at the hospital.

“We are making great strides into the investigations of the murder, soon the perpetrators will be arrested, to face the law.We are looking
into various theories to establish the motive of his killer(s), “revealed the detective.

Detectives are also tracing his last movements and conversations, moments before he met his death.

The medic’s body, which is kept at the hospital’s mortuary, had no physical injuries except some bruises and all the interns personal goods, including his phone were found intact.

But even as police launched investigations questions linger over whether there is a gang targetting medics and staff who work up to late hours at the facility.

A member of staff at the facility revealed that most of the CCTV cameras around the facility are defective.

“Detectives will have a hard time in solving this murder. The hospital has CCTV cameras, but unfortunately, they are not functioning,” said the nurse.

A postmortem on the remains of Kiptoo’s body that was conducted on Sunday revealed that he died of manual strangulation.

Government pathologist Mr Titus Ngulungu who conducted the autopsy reported that the body of the deceased had injuries on his neck, head, part of the abdomen, bruises on his wrists and lips.

The pathologist also ruled out the possibility of the deceased drowning as he was found in a trench.

“As a result of my examination I have formed the opinion that the cause of death was asphyxia due to compression of the neck,” revealed Dr Ngulungu.

The postmortem was conducted on Sunday afternoon at the Nakuru Level Five Hospital in the presence of his father, uncles and other relatives.

His mother Ms Sarah Rono who is yet to come to terms with her fourth-born son’s death said that he was called on Saturday by detectives from the DCI,  inquiring if she knew the deceased.

She said that the officer went ahead and informed her that his body had been found in a trench and that she should visit the hospital for more details.

She recalled that she last spoke with her son on Thursday when she called Kiptoo to check up on him and even informed her that she was just from the wards and that he would take a rest later.

“When we spoke that day, he was full of life, he never disclosed to me if he was having any problem. He even spoke with his father who was not feeling well at that time. We had a routine, we could speak between 11-12 pm after his rounds in the wards,” she said.

“He was very dedicated to his work, sometimes I could call and he would excuse himself that he was attending to his patients and would call later,” she added.

She said that Kiptoo had a dream of being a doctor since he was in class four, he even requested his parents to enroll him to a good school and was enrolled in Legacy Primary Schools in Kitale.

He performed well and later joined St Joseph Kitale where he scored a mean grade A earning a slot at Egerton University.

“We have really struggled to educate him, we had hopes that he would help us after securing a job, but that however has been cut short by people. He has never felt ill or hospitalized. He had not disclosed that he was not feeling well,” she further explained.

“We were told that he was at work on Friday, finished his shift and went to his residence. How he ended dead is still a mystery to us and only detectives can help unravel,” she added.

She eulogized her son as a disciplined young man, hardworking and focused on being a full doctor.
His father Johana Rono, said that Kiptoo got a chance to intern at the Nakuru Level Five Hospital in July 2023 and was set to complete in
June, and be a full doctor.

He wondered how his body was found within the hospital compound, and yet the premises were guarded day and night.

“We do not believe that he was killed outside, the gates are manned by security officials, where did the killers pass through, these are some of the questions we are asking ourselves. They wanted to just kill him, they did not take anything from him. His phone was found in his pocket. We ask officers to speed up investigations for the family to get justice, “he said.

Nakuru Human Rights Network(Nahurinet) has now called for thorough investigations into the mysterious death of the medic.

“We want the DCI boss Amin Mohamed and IG Japhet Koome to intervene and expedite investigations into the death, to have culprits arrested and charged in court,” said Nahurinet Director David Kuria.

“We want to know who killed the young medic and why,” added Mr Kuria.

On Monday morning his colleagues at the hospital led by Rose Masta,the chairperson of the nurses union held a peaceful protest calling for thorough investigations into the incident.

The doctors’ union has also called for speedy investigations into the death.

The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists, and Dentists Union (KMPDU) in a statement called on the DCI to move with speed and establish the cause of his death.

“We implore the relevant authorities to expedite the process, ensuring that justice is served swiftly,” KMPDU Secretary General Davji Atellah said.

Atellah noted the death of the young medic under mysterious circumstances underscores the pressing need for heightened security measures within health facilities.

“We demand that county governments and hospital management prioritize the safety of healthcare workers, particularly medical interns,” Atellah said.

“It is imperative that hospitals adhere to KMPDC and PPB rules, including providing secure housing within hospital premises for medical interns.”

Condoling the family, Atellah termed Langat’s untimely demise as a  loss to the medical fraternity, adding that the loss of a young doctor like Langat is a devastating blow to the country’s healthcare system.

According to Atellah, Langat represented the future of the medical profession, and his tragic demise reverberated through the entire medical fraternity.

“The union will not tolerate any compromise in the security of our doctors and medical interns,” he said.