There was drama at a morgue in Embu county after mourners were shocked to learn that the body of their departed kin was erroneously released and buried by another family.
There were scenes at the morgue when the family of Nicholas Njeru arrived in an Embu mortuary at 9 AM to pick the body of their 82-year-old kin but to their surprise, the body had been given to another family and was already buried at Ruguca village Kigaa Sub location Runyenjes Constituency Embu East Sub County.
Thomas Kinywa, a representative of Njeru’s family, said that when they arrived at the mortuary, they were given the wrong body instead of that of their kin.
Kinywa said that after the immediate family was called to inspect the body, they realised that the body they were given did not resemble that of his deceased 82-year-old grandmother who had white hair.
A son to the 82-year-old woman Linus Njage said that when they discovered that the body was not their kin’s, they confronted the morgue management who later admitted that they had given their kin’s body to another family on October 10 at Ruguca village Runyenjes Constituency.
Njage said the family blamed the morgue attendants for the confusion witnessed and that they could not understand how the confusion occurred because when one is taken to a mortuary, the bodies are always labelled with their names.
He added that their kin was 82-years-old and had white hair while they were given the body of a 45-years-old woman.
Njage added that their family had hired and already paid vehicles to aid in transportation of relatives to and from the mortuary and back to their homes but it was unfortunate that all the expenses had gone to waste.
He said that they had also prepared food for their relatives who had travelled from far counties to attend the burial but it was sad that they would have to again incur the cost of re-planning the burial.
Njage said that they reported the incident at Runyenjes police station and later went to Runyenjes law courts where they are seeking to obtain a court order to allow them to have the body of their kin exhumed from Ruguca village Kigaa sub location and buried at Kathera village Gichiche sub location Runyenjes Constituency.
While confirming the incident, Embu East County Commissioner Jane Waruinge said that she advised Njeru’s family to report the matter to the police and move to court to obtain a court order for their kin’s body to be exhumed.
“Today, a family went to an Embu morgue to pick the body of their kin for burial at Kathathane village Runyenjes Constituency but unfortunately their kin’s body had been exchanged with another family’s body. I have advised them to report the issue to the police station then move to court to obtain a court order for the body to be exhumed,” said the Embu East DCC Waruinge.
The DCC called on families in the county to always thoroughly check the bodies of their kin when picking them from any mortuary in order to avoid such confusion.
Waruinge also urged the mortuary attendants in the county to always carry out thorough checks before issuing out any body for burial.
