Kenyatta National Hospital has announced that it is holding hundreds of unclaimed bodies at its mortuary, urging members of the public to come forward and identify their loved ones within a week.
In a notice on Tuesday, March 24, the hospital revealed that a total of 480 bodies remain unclaimed at its Farewell Home, prompting plans for legal disposal should no claims be made within the given timeframe.
The hospital stated that among the unclaimed bodies are both adults and children, with records indicating that 102 are adults while 378 are children.
“Kenyatta National Hospital is in possession of a number of unclaimed bodies at its Farewell Home. Interested members of the public are therefore requested to identify and collect the bodies within 7 days, failure to which the hospital will seek authority from the courts to dispose of them,” the notice read.
According to the Public Health Act Cap 242, no body should be kept in a public mortuary for more than ten days.
If the body remains unclaimed beyond this period, a daily penalty fee may be charged for each additional day it stays in the facility.
However, the law allows for exceptions in cases where delays are caused by legal or administrative reasons.
In such situations, the next of kin is required to notify the Medical Officer of Health in writing within the initial ten-day period, after which a formal decision is issued regarding continued preservation.
Failure to comply with these regulations constitutes an offence under the law, punishable by a fine, imprisonment, or both.
In practice, when bodies remain unclaimed after the stipulated period, hospitals typically issue public notices and, upon expiry of the notice, seek court authorization to dispose of the bodies.
Attached below is the disposal list;
