Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) has issued public notice to Kenyans to identify and collect 418 unclaimed bodies at the hospital within seven days.
In the notice, the hospital says the 418 bodies have been lying at the facility’s funeral with no next of kin coming forward to claim them.
The hospital says it will seek authority to dispose off the bodies pursuant to public health act after the expiry of the seven days.
“Persuant to Public Health Ac Cap 242(Subsidiary Legislation Public Health Mortuaries Rules, 1991) interested members of the public are asked to identify and collect the bodies within seven days, failure to which KNH will seek authority for disposal,” read part of the notice.
The hospital has warned that after the lapse of the deadline, it will be forced to invoke the public health act and seek authority to dispose the unclaimed bodies.
According to KNH, the list of the unclaimed bodies is available at the KNH Farewell Home and can also be accessed through the hospital’s website.
Under CAP 242 of the Public Health Act an unclaimed body should be removed from a mortuary within 14 days period or else it is disposed off in a mass grave after public officers obtain a court order.
City Hall and Nairobi Metropolitan Services raised concerns over the high number of bodies lying in its mortuaries.
This comes after Nakuru County government issued a 21-day notice urging the public to collect more than 40 unclaimed bodies from Nakuru County Public Mortuary.
Kisumu County government disposed 61 bodies that had been lying in the county’s various mortuaries after obtaining court orders.