Two charged over male 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. They denied the charge and were released on a Sh100,000 bond. PAUL WAWERU

Two mortuary attendants have been charged with harming a dead body by severing its genitals.

Eliud Watiri Mwangi, 36, and Paul Kariuki Marunda, 27, were arraigned before Kibera chief magistrate Cecilia Githua on Tuesday morning.

They, however, denied the charge and were released on a Sh100,000 bond with a surety of similar amount or Sh50,000 cash bail.

The hearing was set for October 21.

The court heard that the two committed the offence at the Kenyatta National Hospital on September 13.

Police in Nairobi seized the two in Hurlingham on Monday afternoon. One is believed to be an attendant at the Kenyatta National Hospital mortuary and the other at a private funeral home in the same area.

They were arrested at about 12.30pm with a green paper bag containing male genitals suspected to have been chopped off a body at the hospital.

Police had been tipped off about the body organ selling syndicate and laid an ambush before arresting the two as they took the genitals to an undisclosed location.