- Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) has issued a seven-day notice for families to claim 262 unclaimed bodies.
- Of these, 16 are adults, 238 are babies, and six are approved for disposal.
- KNH will seek court approval for disposal if bodies remain unclaimed.
Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) has appealed to families to collect 262 unclaimed bodies currently held at its Farewell Home. In a public notice issued Tuesday, the hospital warned that unclaimed bodies would be disposed of after seeking court approval, as mandated by the Public Health Act.
KNH’s statement emphasized the urgency of the situation, calling on families who may have lost contact with loved ones to check if their relatives are among the deceased. The hospital revealed that 238 of the unclaimed bodies are babies, while 16 are adults.
The hospital’s Farewell Home is facing space constraints, mirroring a broader issue affecting public morgues in Kenya. The situation calls for immediate action from families to alleviate the pressure on the facility and ensure their loved ones are treated with dignity in death.
This comes just a month after Nairobi City County made a similar appeal regarding overcrowding at the Nairobi Funeral Home (formerly City Mortuary). The facility, which can hold 184 bodies, currently houses over 600, further illustrating the dire state of public mortuary services.
Both KNH and Nairobi City County have pledged to proceed with court-mandated disposal of unclaimed bodies if families fail to respond within the set timelines.
The call by KNH is a stark reminder of the capacity crisis facing Kenya’s public mortuaries. Families are urged to act swiftly to ensure their loved ones are claimed and afforded dignity in death. Meanwhile, the situation underscores the need for structural solutions to address overcrowding in public morgues.
