Ex-MP Chepkut was received dead, Mediheal doctors say

Mediheal Hospital in Parklands, Nairobi has said immediate former MP for Ainabkoi Constituency, William Chepkut, was received dead at the facility at 8:20am on Saturday, October 8.

Dr Chanchal Singh, the chief intensivist at the Mediheal Hospital in Parklands, told The Standard that upon receiving Chepkut in the morning, they tried to resuscitate him, but the efforts were unsuccessful.

"We received the patient, Hon. William Chepkut, at 8:20am. We examined him, but we did not find any signs of heartbeat or breath," said Dr Singh.

"We, thereafter, embarked on cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), but, unfortunately, we could not resuscitate him. The attempts to revive his heartbeat or respiration failed," said Dr Singh.

CPR is a lifesaving technique that is useful in many emergencies, such as a heart attack or near-drowning, in which someone's breathing or heartbeat has stopped.

Dr Singh said the hospital declared Chepkut dead at 8:40am.

"We had to do that because there were no signs, whatsoever, of heartbeat or breath. I can say the patient was received while already dead," said the lead critical care doctor at Mediheal Hospital, Parklands.

Dr Singh said they couldn't immediately establish the cause of Chepkut's death, though he suspects he might have been living with an underlying medical condition.

"He must have had a pre-existing disease. We might speculate that he suffered a heart attack, but it's only postmortem that can conclusively reveal the cause of his death."

Beth Kajuju, the deputy chief nurse at the Mediheal Hospital in Parklands, Nairobi, reiterated Dr Singh's remarks.

"The patient was brought with no signs of life. We attempted resuscitation, but our efforts were unsuccessful," she said.

The nurse said the hospital could not immediately issue a death permit because Chepkut, according to their examination, died before being admitted to the facility.

"If a patient dies elsewhere, before being brought to our facility, the investigation into his or her death becomes a police case. In such a circumstance, we have to wait for the family to receive the body and then the next processes can follow. We are not legally allowed to issue a death permit for someone who has been brought dead," said Kajuju.

Chepkut's younger brother Enock Kosgei told The Standard on Saturday morning that the ex-lawmaker's health had, of late, improved, and that they hoped he'd fully recover.

Chepkut served as the MP for Ainabkoi Constituency in Uasin Gishu County between 2017 and 2022.

In the recent general election, he lost the Ainabkoi parliamentary seat to his archrival Samuel Chepkong'a.

In the August 9, 2022 elections, Chepkong'a of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) beat Chepkut, an Independent candidate.

Chepkong'a garnered 26,479 votes against Chepkut's 13,510 votes in the August 2022 polls.

The recent election marked the third consecutive time Chepkut was facing off against Chepkong'a.

In the 2017 polls, Chepkut defeated Chepkong'a, who was seeking re-election on Jubilee Party ticket.

Chepkut ran on Independent ticket after losing to Chepkong'a in the Jubilee Party primaries in the run-up to August 8, 2017 General Election.

In the 2017 polls, Chepkut got 23,216 votes against Chepkong'a's 19,140 votes

The Chepkut-Chepkong'a rivalry also previously played out in 2013, when Chepkong'a, who was a member of the defunct United Republican Party (URP), beat Chepkut of the National Vision Party.

Chepkut was known for his great sense of humour, both in public and Parliament.

Chepkut, between 1997 and 2003, served as the personal assistant of Nicholas Biwott, a powerful minister during President Daniel Moi's reign.

He held a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from Jabalpur University in India, and a Master of Arts Degree in Community Development from Kenyatta University.