Court orders disposal of 12 unclaimed bodies in Nyeri

A Nyeri court has ordered the disposal of 12 unclaimed bodies at Nyeri County Referral Hospital mortuary.

The hospital’s Public Health Officer Irene Ndigirigi told Chief Magistrate Wendy Kagendo that the bodies have stayed in the morgue since May last year.

“Keeping the bodies in the public mortuary for more that the stipulated time of ten days constitutes to public nuisance. The mortuary has limited capacity on preservation of 24 dead bodies,” said Ms Ndigirigi in a sworn affidavit.

Ms Ndigirigi told the court that removing the bodies would decongest the facility, eliminate the cost of preserving them and abate the smell nuisance.

She told the court that five of the unidentified bodies were taken to the morgue by police: two are of people who died of natural causes and three are of those who died from drowning, mob justice and road accidents.

The bodies were taken to the mortuary between May and December 2016.

The other seven were from the hospital’s wards, with one already identified and six still unidentified.

The seven have been lying in the morgue since June last year and no one had claimed them.

Ms Ndigirigi further told the court that hospital medical officer Silas Njoroge had not received in writing any pending reason that would compel the facility to keep the bodies for more than 10 days.

She said the hospital earlier this year notified the county boss of its intention to dispose of the bodies and no objection was raised.

“Keeping them will be a burden to the hospital and hinder efficient delivery of services at the mortuary facility,” she added.