Nairobi City County Assembly is set to begin a probe into alleged mismanagement and corruption claims at the Nairobi Funeral Home, formerly the City Mortuary.
Ngei Member of the County Assembly (MCA) Redson Otieno Onyango through his request for a statement claimed that the facility is marred with corruption among its employees especially those employed as casual labourers.
According to the ward representative, there are bank accounts operated by the facility management that are not accounted for by the county executive.
“There are claims that there are unknown bank accounts operated by the Management of the City Mortuary which are not accounted for by the County Executive.” Redson said.
The Sectoral Committee on Health Services is required to inquire and report on the number of employees, both permanent and pensionable, and casual laborers at the City Mortuary from January 2022 to date.
The committee was also requested to report on payments made to the casual laborers and their designations from January 2022 to date and show proof of payment to the workers.
“The Chairperson should inquire into and report on the bank accounts and signatories operated by the City Mortuary management.” Onyango said in his request for a statement.
In addition to that, he requested the committee also to report on the number of bodies received and released at the City Mortuary since January 2022 to date, as well as payments of the bodies released from the morgue and forms of payment made to the facility.
This comes days after the facility which is managed by the Nairobi County government has been in the spotlight for the past two months when Kenya faced anti-government protests.
Casualties of the protests who were shot by the police were taken to the morgue where it was alleged that victims killed in demos were brought but recorded at the City Mortuary as having died from totally different circumstances and even locations.
Last year, when the Senate’s Standing Committee on Health visited the facility, they were welcomed by shocking revelations.
The committee led by its chairman Jackson Mandago was first treated to a power blackout at the facility which then led to unearthing disturbing details about the facility
Despite the power blackout, the Senator discovered that there was no backup generator in the facility that was built in 1953.
With no electricity, what awaited the Senators was a stench so strong that some could not walk into the cold rooms.
During the visit, the senators discovered that chemicals used for embalming were kept inside jerry cans which hung above every slab.
The next stop was the chemical store which the Senators said was untidy and had very old cages.
Some of the mortuary staff including interns interviewed by the senators, who didn’t reveal their identity, claimed that all was not well at the morgue.