This archive report was first published on 8 July 2021.
On Wednesday, a family's search for their kin's body at Embu mortuary turned into a nightmare when they were given another family's body for burial.
The family had arrived at the mortuary on Tuesday to collect the body of their loved one, Daisy Karimi, who had passed away at Embu Level 5 hospital the previous week.
However, when they arrived, they were given a different body, and it was only when they questioned the mortuary staff that they were informed that their kin's body had been handed over to another family, who had already left for burial.
The burial had taken place in Kathagari, Embu West, by the time the family realized their mistake.
"You cannot give out bodies blindly without confirmation from the family members," one of the family members said, expressing their outrage and disappointment at the mortuary's handling of the situation.
The family had incurred significant losses preparing for the burial that did not take place, and they were left wondering how the confusion had occurred.
"We are very disappointed with the management of the morgue. It should be disbanded because it has even caused more grief to us," a mourner identified as Nyaga said.
Embu Level 5 medical Superintendent Dr Daniel Mugendi explained that one family had wrongly identified their kin, leading to the mix-up.
"Earlier in the day, we had some relatives who came to collect one of their deceased persons, unfortunately, they did not identify the body appropriately, and they carried the wrong body," Dr Mugendi said.
