Nairobi County issues 7-day disposal notice for 295 unclaimed bodies at City Mortuary
The Public Health Act Cap 242 stipulates that no body may remain in a public mortuary for more than 10 days.
Kenyans have been given a one-week deadline to claim 295 uncollected bodies currently held at the City Mortuary (Nairobi Funeral Home), with authorities warning that unclaimed bodies may be disposed of legally if not collected.
In a notice, the Nairobi City County Government announced that failure to claim the bodies within the seven days would compel the county to seek legal authority for their disposal.
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“Pursuant to the Public Health Act Cap 242 [Subsidiary, Public Health (Public Mortuaries) Rules, 1991], interested members of the public are asked to identify and collect the below-named bodies within seven (7) days, failure to which the Nairobi City County will seek disposal authority,” Nairobi acting County Secretary and Head of Public Service Godfrey Akumali said.
According to the county, the deceased have been at the mortuary for extended periods, with causes of death including accidents, mob justice, drowning, murder, shooting and, in some cases, abortion. While several bodies have been identified by name, Akumali said others remain of unknown identity.
The management of body preservation and disposal is a devolved responsibility handled by the 47 county governments. Mortuary officials, following procedures developed by the National Coroner, are required to trace fingerprints of unclaimed bodies through the National Registration Bureau and perform autopsies to determine the cause of death, even when criminal investigations are not involved. The steps, while necessary, place significant pressure on public mortuary systems.
The Public Health Act Cap 242 stipulates that no body may remain in a public mortuary for more than 10 days. If a body stays unclaimed for 21 days, and after a 14-day public notice, hospitals or county authorities may legally dispose of it, usually through mass burial, after securing a court order.
Unclaimed bodies are often buried in public cemeteries or mass graves without traditional funeral rites, raising concern among health officials over the increasing pressure on mortuary capacity and hospital resources.
Historically, major facilities such as Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) and the City Mortuary have managed thousands of unclaimed bodies. Between 2003 and 2006, KNH handled around 3,000 unclaimed bodies, while the City Mortuary processed 2,500.
In just the first five months of 2006, both facilities dealt with over 1,500 unclaimed bodies, resulting in an estimated loss of nearly Sh5 million in mortuary fees.
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