The administration of Transnzoia county referral hospital has been accused for failing to release the body of their kin who died in December 2020 for burial. The family through their spokesman David Kiberenge said their plans to
give their kin a decent burial has been frustrated by a likely mix up of the body leading to another family burying him.
Kiberenge said Friday during an interview with the media that the mix up at the county referral hospital in Kitale has made the grieving process even harder for the family of his brother’s son, the late Patrick Kitet Onyundu, 48.
‘’ My brother’s son was found dead on the morning of 24th December at Kalaa farm in Saboti sub county last year and taken to the mortuary by police officers’’, he said. He said the family was shocked on the day they went to collect the
body of their kin for burial after realizing that the body was
missing. The family says despite reporting the incident that led to the questioning of a mortuary attendant no efforts have been made by the hospital administration to give them the body for burial.
‘’ We are very devastated and traumatized. Why? Because we knew that the body of Patrick would be released to us for burial. It is not fair for us to be treated as if we are not citizens of this country. The late must be buried according to the tradition of his ancestors’’, he
added.
The family which is still in disbelief now wants an apology and
answers as to how the body that was collected by police officers from the scene of crime was still missing, two months down the line after the incident. They also plan to sue the county referral mortuary hoping to prevent other families from going through the same horrible situation. “We’re still traumatized. We want to know how that mistake came about.
Yes mistakes do happen but we are still suspecting foul play in this issue which has taken us long time even if mistakes do happen’’, he added.
Trans Nzoia county referral hospital medical superintendent Dr. Sammy Masibo could not comment on the matter which he said was already a police case. Area county commander of police Fredrick Ochieng confirmed the incident, saying investigations are still ongoing.
He raised concern over failure by the hospital administration to have registers recording details of dead bodies. “We have written a letter to the county referral hospital to give
us an explanation on why they do not have a register for dead bodies. It is shocking that it is only here in Trans Nzoia where we are coming across such a situation’’, he said.