Families with the remains of their loved ones at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) have been urged to collect them, or they may face disposal.
In a notice dated Tuesday, November 26, the hospital announced that there are 262 unclaimed bodies. Families have seven days from the date of the notice to retrieve them otherwise, the bodies will be disposed of.
"Kenyatta National Hospital is in possession of a number of unclaimed bodies at its Farewell Home. Pursuant to Public Health Act Cap 243 (Subsidiary Legislation Public Health [Public Mortuaries] Rules, 1991)."
According to the hospital, most of the abandoned bodies belong to children, with the hospital only having 16 bodies belonging to adults.
"Interested members of the public are therefore requested to identify and collect bodies within 7 days, failure to which the hospital will seek authority from courts to dispose of them," the notice read in part.
The hospital has announced that it has received consent to dispose of seven bodies. If the families of the remaining unclaimed bodies do not come forward to collect their loved ones, those bodies will also be disposed of.
Under the Public Health Act (Cap 242), nobody can remain in a mortuary for more than 10 days without being claimed. If a body is unclaimed for 21 days, authorities are required to obtain a court order for disposal, following a 14-day public notice period to locate the next of kin.
Typically, unclaimed bodies are buried in public cemeteries or mass graves, often without any funeral rites, in order to manage space in mortuaries.
For those interested, a list of unclaimed bodies can be found at the KNH Farewell Home and is also accessible on the institution's website.
This notice comes at a time when several mortuaries are experiencing overcrowding. In April, Nairobi residents were cautioned to retrieve their deceased relatives from various mortuaries, including Mama Lucy Hospital Mortuary, City Mortuary, and Mbagathi Hospital Mortuary.
