A Nairobi family is demanding accountability from a hospital in Ruai after their mother, Pastor Rachel, reportedly died in the operating theatre on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, before surgeons had even begun her procedure.
Bishop Patrick broke the news in a video shared by Mutembei TV, describing the day as one of the most painful of his life.
Why was pastor Rachel admitted?
Pastor Rachel had been admitted the previous day and was scheduled for a straightforward operation to fix a plate on her right shoulder.
According to Bishop Patrick, there were no known underlying health conditions, and doctors had confirmed that all her vital signs were normal before she was wheeled into theatre.
The trouble began during the anaesthesia phase.
Pastor Rachel induced in hospital
Bishop Patrick said that as medical staff were attempting to induce sleep, Rachel developed sudden complications.
The team began resuscitation of the lady pastor, with the efforts going on for approximately 45 minutes.
Throughout that entire period, the family waiting outside received no information.
Patrick says theatre appeared undisturbed
It was only afterwards that a son and daughter were called into a boardroom, where hospital staff attempted an explanation that the family found vague and unsatisfactory.
The attending surgeon reportedly told the family that he had not yet commenced the operation when the incident occurred, placing responsibility solely on the anaesthesia stage.
Patrick said the theatre itself appeared undisturbed, which seemed to support that account, yet it only deepened the family’s confusion about how a woman with no known complications could die before a scalpel was even lifted.
Patrick expresses deep frustration with how family was treated
Beyond the tragedy itself, Patrick expressed deep frustration at how the family was treated in the aftermath.
He said staff were unwelcoming and kept directing relatives from one department to another.
They were told to see an absent manager, then passed on to customer care, with no one willing to give a clear account of events.
Patrick asks doctor about vital signs
“It seemed their main aim was simply to have us clear the body and leave,” he said.
Patrick had personally asked the doctor beforehand whether all vital signs had been checked, and was told everything was normal.
That assurance made the outcome all the more difficult to accept.
Pastor Rachel’s family calls hospital to be held accountable
“If everything was normal, where did this complication come from?” he asked.
Nearly one week after Pastor Rachel’s death, the family says no hospital official has stood before them with a confident, transparent explanation.
They are now calling for the hospital to be held accountable.
