Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) on Tuesday, July 20, issued a notice to the public to collect their unclaimed bodies lying at the facility’s morgue.
In the notice, KNH sought to notify the public that there are 418 unclaimed bodies that have been in the custody of the facility for more than two weeks.
KNH urged members of the public to come and identify the unclaimed bodies lying at the KNH Farewell Home.
The bodies have been at the Farewell Home since the admission date, and the waiting period for the collection of the bodies has expired.
The notice warned that if the bodies were not collected in the next 7 days, KNH would seek authority from the courts to dispose of the bodies.
“The 418 unclaimed bodies lying at the KNH Farewell Home from the date of admission are awaiting collection,” reads the notice.
“Interested members of the public are asked to identify and collect the bodies," the notice further reads.
Public health officials have expressed concern over the increased number of bodies that are lying in mortuaries unclaimed.
Health officials gave an example of the City Mortuary, said to be experiencing the problem of body pile-up, which is a health hazard.
According to the Public Health Act Cap 242, unclaimed bodies that have passed a period of two weeks should be buried in a mass grave, after a court authorization is given.
The announcement by KNH comes after the Nakuru County government issued a 21-day notice urging the public to collect more than 40 unclaimed bodies from Nakuru County Public Mortuary.
