UPDATE Monday, June 22: Brian Kimani was finally laid to rest at Gatuikira, Ndenderu in Kiambu County over three months after his parents were forced to bury an empty casket after a hospital refused to release the body over outstanding medical bills.
This, bringing an end to a tumultuous first half of the year for the family that had to grieve the loss of their young son in the most distressing of circumstances.
The funeral service saw the tens of mourners who had come to bid young Kimani farewell observe social distancing regulations.
UPDATE June 16, 2020: The body of Brian Kimani was released to the family for Burial.
The deceased's family had noted that by March, Gertrude's Hospital had failed to release the body even after commitment following agreement on clearance of the outstanding amounts.
In the photos seen by Kenyans.co.ke, the burial service was attended by a handful of family and friends in line with the government's guidelines on social distancing as well as gatherings.
Update March 17: Brian Kimani's family issued a statement on March 17, 2020 highlighting that they were still unable to collect their kin's body.
This followed a meeting with Gertrude's Hospital on March 12, where the Hospital waived Ksh 1.5 million from the outstanding Ksh 18 million hospital bill and committed to release the body conditional on an agreement on clearance of the outstanding amounts.
The family was requested to commit to a payment plan after which they could collect the body. They continue their appeal to well-wishers to clear the outstanding amount after failing to reach an amicable agreement with the hospital.
A family was forced to carry on with the burial service of their deceased son on March 11, 2020, after a hospital withheld his body over a Ksh 18 million bill.
The 13-year-old boy, Brian Kimani Njoroge passed away in the last months of 2019 after five and a half months admission in hospital.
According to a feature by Mt. Kenya TV, the family had held a number of fundraisers to try to clear the Ksh 17.9 million hospital bill demanded before the body could be released.
Brian's father highlighted the frustrations they had met trying to raise the funds stating that despite holding multiple fundraisers they had not made a significant dent in the bill.
"Once you've two or three harambee people grow tired of giving. And it's not thousands that are owed by millions," explained the father.
Brian's mother expressed her sorrow at bearing the cost of the pending bills while still grappling with the loss of her son.
"What pains me most is that the child is gone yet you still have a debt to settle," she stated.
Kimani passed away from liver failure. The condition began following the treatment he had received for leukaemia.
The family raised the money required to fly Brian to India for treatment after local alternatives failed. Over nine-months, they were in India for the bone marrow transplants they spent more than Ksh 10 million.
He was eventually discharged and allowed to return home but the bone marrow procedures had left him unable to eat normally.
Brian had to be fed intravenously for three months which ultimately damaged his liver. This resulted in his hospitalisation at Gertrudes Hospital where he died.
Timothy Ngure, the Head Doctor at Gertrude's denied the claims that the hospital had declined to release the body.
"We are not in the practice of holding bodies. The parents and family are free to collect the body at any time," he stated.
Brian Kimani's funeral service is currently underway.
As of March 12, Gertrude's Children's Hospital had waived Ksh1.5 million from the Ksh18 million hospital bill owed by the family of Brian Kimani.
The management of the hospital had also agreed to release the body of the 13-year-old allowing the family to hold a proper burial for their kin.
The release of the body was conditional on the family signing an agreement with the hospital detailing how the bill would be cleared.
Watch the video here:
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