This archive report was first published on 6 July 2021.
Published on July 6, 2021, Kisumu County is facing a challenge of unclaimed bodies at its mortuaries, with Ahero Sub-county Hospital being the latest to take drastic measures.
According to Dr. Bernard Otieno, the hospital's boss, the 22 bodies have been lying at the facility for over six months, with no relatives coming forward to claim them.
As a result, the hospital has decided to bury the bodies in a public cemetery this Friday, in accordance with a court order issued last month allowing the county government to dispose of the unclaimed bodies.
The order was issued by Kisumu Governor Anyang Nyong'o, who directed all mortuaries in the county to clear the bodies for burial amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
Earlier, the Kisumu County Covid-19 multi-agency Committee had issued a directive that bodies should not stay in the mortuary past 48 hours after death has occurred.
