188 unclaimed bodies in Nairobi to be disposed of: NMS

The Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) has appealed to members of the public to collect 188 bodies lying in three city mortuaries failing which they will be disposed of.

In a public notice published in the local dailies, NMS noted that the 188 bodies have overstayed in city mortuaries and the administration will seek clearance to get rid of them if uncollected within seven days from November 17, 2020.

Some 166 bodies are at the City Mortuary, while Mbagathi Funeral Home is holding nine and Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital 13.

According to the notice, the bodies are mostly of unknown persons whose causes of death range from mob justice to murder, drowning, road accidents, suicide and abortion.

“The following are 166 unclaimed bodies lying at the City Mortuary, nine at the Mbagathi Hospital Funeral Home and 13 at Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital awaiting collection. Pursuant to Public Health Act Cap 242, members of the public are asked to identify and collect the bodies within 7 days, failing which the County Government of Nairobi will seek authority for disposal,” the notice warns.

The notice, however, did not indicate how long the bodies have been lying in the mortuaries.

In May, NMS issued a similar notice asking the public to collect 185 unclaimed bodies lying at the three city mortuaries.

The Public Health Act stipulates that a body should be removed from a mortuary within two weeks or be disposed of.

If the bodies are not identified, the relevant authority must seek permission from a court to get rid of them.