Tough rules to curb dark trade in body parts
Eliud Watiri Mwangi (right) and Paul Kariuki Marunda (left) appear before Kibera chief magistrate Cecilia Githua September 14, 2010 where they were charged with harming a dead body. PAUL WAWERU
What you need to know:
Two have been taken to court
- Two people have been charged in court with “harming a dead body” by severing its male genitals. The two, a Kenyatta National Hospital mortuary attendant, Mr Eliud Watiri Mwangi 36, and his co-accused, Mr Paul Kariuki Marunda, 27, a driver with Lorna Funeral Services, have been freed on a Sh50,000 cash bail. The other incident involves missing eyes and left ear on a body at the Nairobi City Mortuary.
New rules have been introduced to prevent the theft of body parts in mortuaries.
Medical superintendents and those in charge of mortuaries will now be required to ensure proper preservation of bodies from the time they are taken to the mortuary to the time they are released to the next of kin.
“All the parties involved — medical superintendents and relatives receiving the bodies — must be satisfied that all body parts are in their true form from the point of admission to when they are released,” a circular signed by the Director of Medical Services, Dr Francis Kimani, said.
According to the circular, all parties (medical superintendents and next of kin) will be expected to append their signatures on a newly-introduced body release certification form.
On Thursday, the Medical Services minister, Prof Anyang’ Nyong’o, described the theft of body parts as a “criminal offence”.
The circular is copied to the chief government pathologist, all provincial directors of medical services, all medical superintendents and all administrators of private hospitals and funeral homes.
On Thursday, Kenyatta National Hospital invited detectives to investigate the extent of theft of body parts at their mortuary after one worker was arrested as he smuggled out male genitals.
However, the hospital’s chief executive, Dr Jotham Micheni, asked the public to treat the incident as an isolated criminal act by an individual driven by greed.
At the City Mortuary, the body of road accident victim Eric Kilel was found minus eyes and the left ear on Tuesday. He was killed by a car on Jogoo Road on Friday. His brothers said the body was intact when it was taken to the mortuary.
