295 uncollected bodies face disposal after Nairobi county notice
Causes of death include road accidents, mob justice, drowning, shootings, murder and abortion. While a number of the deceased have been identified by name, others are yet to be recognized.
Nairobi residents have been given a seven-day ultimatum to claim 295 bodies that remain uncollected at the City Mortuary, with the county government cautioning that those unclaimed will be disposed of in line with the law.
In a notice, the Nairobi City County Government said it would be forced to seek court approval to dispose of the bodies if relatives or friends fail to collect them within the stated period.
“Pursuant to the Public Health Act Cap 242 [Subsidiary, Public Health (Public Mortuaries) Rules, 1991], interested members of the public are asked to identify and collect the below-named bodies within seven (7) days, failure to which the Nairobi City County will seek disposal authority,” Nairobi acting County Secretary and Head of Public Service Godfrey Akumali stated.
The county indicated that the bodies have been lying at the facility for long durations. Causes of death include road accidents, mob justice, drowning, shootings, murder and abortion. While a number of the deceased have been identified by name, others are yet to be recognized.
Management of unclaimed bodies falls under county governments, which are tasked with handling preservation and disposal.
Mortuary staff follow procedures set by the National Coroner, including fingerprint tracing through the National Registration Bureau and carrying out autopsies to establish the cause of death, even in cases where no criminal investigation is ongoing.
Officials say these steps, though vital, strain mortuary services already operating under pressure.
The Public Health Act requires that no body remain in a public mortuary for more than 10 days. In cases where a body is unclaimed for 21 days, authorities must issue a 14-day public notice before proceeding with disposal, usually through mass burial, after securing a court order.
Unclaimed bodies are often laid to rest in public cemeteries or mass graves without traditional funeral rites, something that continues to raise concern over the growing pressure on mortuary capacity and hospital operations.
City Mortuary and Kenyatta National Hospital have historically struggled with large numbers of unclaimed bodies. Records show that between 2003 and 2006, KNH managed about 3,000 such cases, while the City Mortuary handled 2,500. In just the first five months of 2006, both facilities processed more than 1,500 unclaimed bodies, resulting in an estimated Sh5 million loss in mortuary fees.
