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The interdicted Chief Executive Officer of Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital (CGTRH), Dr Iqbal Khandwalla, was on Friday cleared of any wrongdoing in an internal investigation into the death of a patient at the facility and subsequently opted to step down from the position.

The Internal Investigation Committee constituted by the County Government of Mombasa to review the circumstances surrounding the February 21 incident found that Dr Khandwalla bore no culpability, negligence, or personal liability in relation to the patient’s demise.

His interdiction was lifted with immediate effect upon submission of the committee’s report.

Findings of the internal investigation

According to the Office of the County Secretary and Head of County Public Service, the inquiry established that there was no personal act or omission attributable to Dr Khandwalla connected to the incident under review.

The County Government stated that the investigation was conducted to reinforce transparency, accountability, and institutional oversight at CGTRH, the region’s largest referral hospital.

Leadership transition at CGTRH

Despite being cleared, Dr Khandwalla elected to conclude his tenure as Chief Executive Officer following consultations with the County Government. He will continue serving within the County health system in his substantive capacity as Chief Medical Specialist.

To ensure continuity of operations, the County Government appointed Dr Sood Mohamed to serve in an acting capacity pending the recruitment of a substantive Chief Executive Officer.

The acting appointee will oversee daily management and ongoing reforms at the facility during the transition period.