Laban Kiptoo murder: Scene of crime CCTV footage was tampered with
What you need to know:
- Kiptoo’s body was discovered in a trench by the hospital’s security guard last Saturday.
- CCTV cameras at the hospital were operational the night before the body was found.
The puzzle of who killed Dr Laban Kiptoo inside the Nakuru Teaching and Referral Hospital could be unravelled by identifying the person who tampered with footage captured by security cameras at the scene of crime.
Kiptoo’s body was discovered in a trench by the hospital’s security guard last Saturday.
It has emerged that crucial CCTV footage captured near the scene of crime was tampered with.
On Wednesday, the hospital’s senior management revealed that security cameras at the hospital were functional when the incident happened.
Health workers from Nakuru County Referral Hospital demonstrate in Nakuru on January 15, 2024 over the killing of their colleague Laban Kiptoo whose body was found dumped in a trench at the facility.
Medical superintendent James Waweru confirmed to the Nation that CCTV cameras at the facility were operational the night before the body was found.
However, he said that detectives investigating the murder have been unable to retrieve the CCTV footage as it had been interfered with.
“Our CCTV cameras were active that Friday night but an unknown individual tampered with the memory card. We do not know how and why. We are yet to establish that. We are in the process of repairing all the CCTVs cameras in the facility,” said Dr Waweru.
Police have so far questioned 10 people with regard to the murder.
Police try to calm down health workers from Nakuru County Referral Hospital who staged a demonstration outside Governor Susan Kihika's office in Nakuru City on January 15, 2024 over the killing of their colleague Laban Kiptoo.
A postmortem conducted by government pathologist Titus Ngulungu on Sunday revealed that he died from manual strangulation as injuries were found on his neck, head, abdomen, wrists, and lips, ruling out the possibility of drowning, as he was discovered in a trench.
Meanwhile, the Nation has traced Kiptoo’s last movements to an entertainment joint in London along the Nakuru- Kabarnet road.
CCTV footage obtained by the Nation shows Kiptoo, who was dressed in a black and white striped shirt, black trouser, black jacket and spectacles, walking into the club with another person at 11pm. The duo then joins two other revellers at one of the tables.
Later, a visibly drunk Kiptoo, struggling to stand is seen showing his friend his phone before continuing to scroll on it.
He later bids the men goodbye but they pull him back and he is seen whispering to one of them before eventually leaving alone.
“He was on his phone throughout. He left two of his drinking friends at the club, they followed him but the two came back and continued having their drinks and left thereafter,” a waiter said.
Health workers from Nakuru County Referral Hospital demonstrate in Nakuru on January 15, 2024 over the killing of their colleague Laban Kiptoo whose body was found dumped in a trench at the facility.
A reveller at the club said Kiptoo got onto a motorcycle and asked to be taken to the hospital.
At a press briefing on Wednesday, Nakuru Governor Susan Kihika said the county government will work closely with the investigative team to ensure that the family gets justice.
“We are trying to get to the bottom of what happened, our priority is justice for our doctor. We are working closely with the investigative officers to ensure that no stone is left unturned," Governor Kihika said.
"We are also looking to see if there are any weak points and what we need to do to ensure they are handled properly so that this sort of thing may never happen or befall our patients or staff in future,” she said.
