Family seeks help to bury kin’s body held in morgue over bill

Ms Grace Wairimu holds a photo of her father Eutychus Mwaura, who died at the Nakuru War Memorial Hospital in Nakuru on July 14, 2018. The hospital is yet to release the man's body due to an unpaid Sh2.5 million bill. The family is appealing for help from well-wishers. PHOTO | FRANCIS MUREITHI | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • The family of four – two young men and two young women – who are all unemployed, are now appealing for help.
  • Mumbi said the family has only managed to raise Sh120,000 through social media platforms.
  • The family has opened an M-Pesa Pay Bill number 891300, Account 24839 for those wishing to help them.

For most families, when their loved ones die, it is their wish to give them a decent send off and move on with life.

But a family in Kiamunyi on the outskirts of Nakuru town is living in pain and daily agony as they cannot bury their father due to an unpaid mortuary bill.

Eutychus Mwaura died on July 14, 2018 and his body has been detained at the Nakuru War Memorial Hospital mortuary until the family clears a bill of Sh2.5 million.

The family of four – two young men and two young women – who are all unemployed, are now appealing to well-wishers to help them raise the money to clear the bill.

NO HELP

“We have reached out to all top political leaders and well-wishers in Nakuru town to help us but we have received no help,” said Ms Mildred Mumbi, who is the firstborn in the family.

She said the family has only managed to raise Sh120,000 through social media platforms.

“Our mother succumbed to breast cancer in 2014 and now our dad is dead and as an orphaned family we appeal to well-wishers to help us raise the money to enable us give our dad a good send off so that we can move on with our lives,” said Mumbi.

She said the family is now worried that they may not be able to bury their father at the Nakuru South Cemetery as the mortuary charges are accumulating at the rate of Sh1,500 per day and an additional Sh2,000 for preserving the body.

SAVINGS EXHAUSTED

“We don’t have anything. We have exhausted the little savings dad had. Our lives have come to standstill. We can’t do anything as long as our dad is lying in the mortuary,” said Ms Grace Wairimu who is the last born.

Ms Wairimu said the family is now worried that as the body continues to be detained at the mortuary, they might not be able to bury their father in a good condition as it is slowly decomposing.

“The last time I visited the mortuary and viewed the body I noticed the skin on the nose had peeled off and as a family we are worried we will only be able to bury the skeleton if the body continues to be detained further at the hospital,” said a tearful Ms Wairimu.

UNTOLD SUFFERING

“The family is undergoing untold sufferings and I appeal to Kenyans of goodwill to help these orphans,” said Ms Cecelia Wachuka, who is their first cousin.

A hospital official confirmed that the body is still detained at there and will only be released upon payment of the pending bill.

“The hospital is willing and ready to release the body once we receive full payment,” said a hospital official who could not be quoted as she is not the hospital’s spokesperson.

The family has opened an M-Pesa Pay Bill number 891300, Account 24839 for those wishing to help them with donations to clear the bill.