The Nairobi County government has issued a seven-day ultimatum for the collection of 355 unclaimed bodies from three city mortuaries. The notice, issued by Nairobi County Secretary Godfrey Akumali, warns that bodies unclaimed by the deadline will be disposed of in accordance with public health regulations.
The bodies are preserved at the Nairobi City Funeral Home (City Mortuary), Mama Lucy Kibaki Funeral Home, and Mbagathi Funeral Home. According to the county’s breakdown, 238 bodies remain unclaimed at the City Mortuary, 62 at Mama Lucy Kibaki Funeral Home, and 55 at Mbagathi Funeral Home.
“Pursuant to the Public Health Act Cap 242, interested members are asked to identify and collect the bodies within seven days, failure to which the Nairobi City County will seek authority for disposal,” the notice read.
A significant number of these bodies have been linked to various causes, including accidents, suicides, mob justice incidents, drownings, shootings, homicides, and natural deaths. Public health officials have expressed growing concern over the increasing number of unclaimed bodies, noting that this issue has persisted for years.
Between 2003 and 2006, the City Mortuary alone disposed of approximately 2,500 unclaimed bodies, while Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) mortuary disposed of around 3,000. The trend of unclaimed bodies continues to strain public mortuaries, leading to overcrowding and loss of potential revenue.
Beyond the emotional toll on families who may have lost track of their loved ones, unclaimed bodies present a financial burden to the county. In 2006, Kenya’s two main public mortuaries City Mortuary and KNH Mortuary reported losing millions in uncollected revenue due to unclaimed bodies. The problem persists, as public mortuaries operate with limited resources and struggle with capacity constraints.
Nairobi residents are urged to visit the respective mortuaries to check whether any of the unclaimed bodies belong to their relatives or loved ones. The county government hopes this notice will encourage families to come forward before the bodies are subjected to mass disposal.
The issue raises broader concerns about the effectiveness of public communication in tracing relatives of the deceased and highlights the need for improved identification systems to prevent bodies from going unclaimed in the future.
