Meridian Equator Hospital under DCI probe after lawyer dies

Meridian Equator Hospital in South C, Nairobi, is under scrutiny following the death of a 32-year-old advocate during a routine medical procedure, in a case now being investigated by the Homicide Department of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).

Christopher Ntogaiti Mwenda walked into the private facility on December 18, 2025 for what his family and doctors said was a routine endoscopy meant to investigate mild gastrointestinal discomfort. He never walked out alive.

According to his family, Mwenda had been experiencing mild stomach discomfort and diarrhoea, prompting him to seek medical attention at the hospital on December 17, 2025.

“Christopher was a bubbly person. He had some slight stomach issues and decided to visit the hospital for a check-up,” said his brother, Joram Muriuki.

Routine tests conducted on December 17 reportedly ruled out H. pylori infection and other serious conditions.

Mwenda was given medication for pain and gastritis but was advised to return the following day for an endoscopy to obtain a clearer picture of his condition.

“He was told he was essentially in good health. There was nothing to be concerned about. The endoscopy was presented as a routine procedure,” said Muriuki.

On the morning of December 18, Mwenda checked into the hospital in good shape, and according to his brother, he kept in touch with his family as he prepared for the procedure.

At around noon, the hospital contacted Muriuki, whom Mwenda had listed as his next of kin. “They did not inform me of anything, they just said, ‘Your brother is in hospital. So, are you Christopher’s brother? He is in hospital, kindly find your way here, I would like to talk with you,’” said Muriuki.

Muriuki rushed to the facility, but he said that hospital staff were evasive and offered no clear explanation of what was happening.

It was only hours later, at around 3 pm, that the family was informed Mwenda had died.

According to Philip Mwangale, an advocate representing the Law Society of Kenya in the matter, the attending doctor, Kevin Murimi, informed the family that Mwenda’s condition deteriorated immediately after the administration of an anaesthetic agent.

“Dr Murimi told the family that he administered 20ml of propofol. Immediately, Christopher’s blood pressure dropped, his heart rate spiked, his breathing became shallow, and he went into desaturation,” Mwangale said.

The doctor reportedly told the family that he was unable to proceed with the endoscopy and spent close to an hour performing chest compressions and intubation in a bid to resuscitate Mwenda.

These assertions, however, were later contradicted by medical records, post-mortem findings, and the hospital’s own documentation.

Family members and lawyers said they were kept in the dark for hours after Mwenda’s death, with the hospital declining to release medical records or provide a clear account of events.

“They were very averse. They did not provide any documentation. They held the body until midnight,” Mwangale said.

It took the intervention of the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), the DCI Lang’ata, and the Office of the Chief Government Pathologist for Mwenda’s body to be released for preservation and post-mortem.

A post-mortem was conducted on December 19, 2025 by government pathologist Dr Johansen Oduor, alongside representatives from the hospital and LSK.

According to documents seen by The Standard, all three pathologists agreed that Mwenda died from hypoxia due to respiratory depression following an anaesthetic drug reaction.

“The pathologists were in agreement that neither of the two conditions, gastritis or haemorrhagic pancreatitis, could have led to death,” reads part of the report.

The autopsy found no evidence that an endoscopy had been performed, directly contradicting the hospital’s later medical report.

“There was no notable evidence of an endoscopy having been conducted,” the document stated.

The report further noted significant contusions on the back of Mwenda’s tongue, trachea, and oesophagus, injuries the pathologists suspected to have resulted from intubation attempts.

Dr Murimi’s written medical report dated December 19 also contradicted his verbal briefing to the family in several aspects.

While he told the family he administered 20ml of propofol, the report stated 10ml.

The report claimed an endoscopy was completed, revealing gastric ulcers, findings that were not supported by the autopsy.