Kenyatta National Hospital issues seven-day ultimatum for collection of 124 unclaimed bodies
Among the bodies are more than 91 babies and 33 adults. Some have remained unclaimed for extended periods.
Kenyatta National Hospital has announced plans to dispose of 124 unclaimed bodies if they are not identified and collected within seven days.
The hospital made the notice public, urging individuals who may have lost loved ones to come forward and identify the remains currently held at its Farewell Home.
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Among the bodies are more than 91 babies and 33 adults. Some have remained unclaimed for extended periods. If the remains are not identified within the given time, the hospital will seek permission from the courts to dispose of them.
“Kenyatta National Hospital is in possession of a number of unclaimed bodies at its Farewell Home. Interested members of the public are therefore requested to identify and collect the bodies within 7 days, failure to which the hospital will seek authority from the courts to dispose of them,” the notice read.
The disposal process is guided by the Public Health Act, which states that no body should stay in a mortuary for more than 10 days without being claimed.
If a body remains unclaimed for 21 days, a court order is required after a 14-day public notice.
Health officials are concerned about the growing number of unclaimed bodies.
In the past, Kenyatta National Hospital and City Mortuary have disposed of thousands of bodies that were never collected.
Between 2003 and 2006, City Mortuary buried 2,500 unclaimed bodies, while Kenyatta National Hospital disposed of about 3,000 during the same period.
In just five months in 2006, both mortuaries handled over 1,500 unclaimed bodies. The losses in mortuary fees during that time amounted to nearly Sh5 million.
Unclaimed bodies are usually buried in public cemeteries or mass graves without traditional rites.
The hospital says this step is necessary to free up space in the already overcrowded mortuary.
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