The family of Susan Kamengere is demanding answers after she died under unclear circumstances at a hospital in Nairobi, barely a day after she was forcibly taken from her Kileleshwa home.
Susan, who is also the CEO and founder of Toto Touch, had posted on her Facebook account on Monday evening, narrating what she allegedly described as a forced admission at Chiromo Group of Hospitals, Braeside branch.
The post was later deleted, and by Tuesday, she was dead.
Now, her family is questioning the circumstances of her hospitalisation and subsequent death.
“She had never been treated at that facility. Whenever she felt unwell, she would go to Aga Khan, where she would get treatment," said Ruth, her Aunt.
In her now-deleted Facebook post, Susan described how four people—two men and two women—stormed her house and forcibly injected her without her consent.
“Now a group of nurses invaded my bedroom, and forced an injection on me, both gluts muscles, saying they were sent by my doctor. They ignored my questions as a patient, survivor of bipolar disorder,” she wrote.
She claimed the team said they were acting under instructions from her psychiatrist, Dr Onyancha, and her husband, Alois, who, according to her post, had allegedly informed the day guard to expect medics.
Susan, who in May had featured on a TV programme with Dr. Frank Njenga, the founder of Chiromo Hospital Group, expressed disbelief that she would be taken to the same facility by force.
“I did a show regarding overcoming mental illness. Dr. Njenga was so proud of my progress as a patient. Now, this is the final destination, by force,” noted Susan.
In a separate voice recording she made while in the hospital, Susan gave further details of what transpired. She lamented that her phone was confiscated and she was not allowed to communicate over the phone.
“They said I was not supposed to talk or have my phone. They forced me to lie down on a bed and injected me again, even after I told them I was allergic to some medication; they said they were professionals. If death looks like this, let them take me back home,” she said.
According to her family, Susan had been managing her bipolar condition well and often sought treatment voluntarily at the Aga Khan hospital when she felt overwhelmed.
“As much as I have depression, as they say, or I am bipolar, that does not determine my fate. I was to go and see two clients the day they forcefully took me. I was not sick. Why are you taking me back to where I came from?” she said in the recording.
Susan repeatedly stated that her social media expression of grief over her mother’s death should not have triggered a forced admission.
“If I post on social media, I am doing wrong. If I cry, am I depressed? I have won over depression with support from my family, friends and church. Why are they doing this to me?” she said.
The family is now demanding an independent autopsy and a full inquest into her death.
“We are reading malice. Nothing adds up. We want justice for Susan and answers about what happened at that hospital,” a relative said.
The case is now under investigation by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), and her husband has recorded a statement.
Chiromo Hospital, when reached for comment, said it is cooperating fully with the investigations and that they have submitted all necessary documents to the DCI.
