The County Government of Kisumu has issued a three days’ notice to bereaved families to collect 69 bodies of their loved ones lying at various morgues within the county.
Families who fail to honor the notice risk having bodies of their loved ones buried in a mass grave on Friday 18th June 2021.
Kisumu County Attorney and Legal Advisor to the Governor Edris Omondi, in a notice issued on Wednesday, said despite numerous notices, the bodies were still lying unclaimed and uncollected at various health facilities.
“Take note that we have processed in court the 69 bodies lying unclaimed and uncollected within various health facilities and the said bodies will be buried by the county government immediately after we conclude the necessary legal requirements,” read the notice in part.
Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH), he said had the highest number of unclaimed bodies numbering 51 with Kisumu County Referral Hospital (KCRH) having 16 and Port Florence Hospital 2.
Besides the 69 bodies, Omondi said relatives of nine other bodies cannot be traced or contacted despite the bodies having stayed at the mortuaries for an extended period of time.
The county government, he added, has released the names and contacts of the family members who cannot be reached, urging members of the public to help in tracing the kin and contacts of the nine bodies.
“Anybody with information on the kin of any of the bodies is advised to inform them to collect the bodies for burial with immediate effect failure to which the bodies will be buried by the county government,” he said.
The measures come as the county grapples with a surge in Covid-19 cases which has caused a strain across the health facilities in the area.
Last month, Governor Anyang Nyong’o issued a directive requiring all bodies in the various health facilities within the county to be processed within 48 hours after confirmation of death.
The directive is aimed at containing the spread of Covid-19 which over the last two weeks has escalated.
By Chris Mahandara and Evangeline Mola
