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Nakuru County has announced that 27 unclaimed bodies at the Nakuru County public mortuary will be disposed of within 21 days if not collected.
The County released a detailed list of the unclaimed bodies, including the place and date of death as well as the cause. The notice, issued by County Public Health Officer Waithera Mwangi, stated that the corpses had remained unclaimed for over three months, putting pressure on mortuary services.
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“The following 22 adults and 5 infants are at the Public Mortuary (Annex Funeral Home). Members of the public are urged to identify and claim the bodies within 21 days; otherwise, Nakuru County will seek a court order to dispose of them,” the notice read.
According to Mwangi, some bodies had identifiable information while others remained unknown, often recovered by police without documentation. The County plans to obtain a court order before disposal, in line with the Public Health Act, Cap 242, and the Public Health (Public Mortuaries) Rules of 1991.
“All efforts to trace next of kin have been exhausted. If the relatives are not located, the bodies will be buried at Nakuru South Cemetery 21 days after this notice,” the statement added.
Mortuaries regularly issue public notices for unclaimed bodies, which are eventually buried in public cemeteries or mass graves without ceremonies. The disposal is necessary to free up space and avoid overcrowding of facilities.
The Public Health Act specifies that no body should remain in a public mortuary for more than 10 days. If unclaimed after 21 days, hospitals may dispose of them following a 14-day public notice and court approval.
The causes of death for the unclaimed include suicide, road accidents, murder, drowning, shooting, natural death, sudden death, abortion, and mob justice, with a few from natural causes. Each year, Nakuru County morgues hold between 200 and 300 unclaimed bodies.
Common reasons families fail to claim bodies include financial constraints, cultural beliefs, lack of burial land, or unawareness that a relative has died. The Anatomy Act, Cap 249, allows medical schools to obtain unclaimed bodies for study with Ministry of Health approval.
Mwangi noted that preserving unclaimed bodies is costly, sometimes extending up to four months. Counselling psychologist Ochieng Okuku said many unclaimed bodies result from communication breakdowns, where families are unaware their loved one has died.
“Most unclaimed bodies are of unknown individuals who died unnaturally, making it difficult for police to identify relatives,” he added.
Police assist by verifying fingerprints to help identify the deceased.
Postmortems are conducted by a coroner once families are notified, allowing them to claim the body. Sudden and unexplained deaths are investigated through public inquests under Sections 385-387 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
The National Coroners Service Act, 2017, transferred the investigation of unnatural deaths from the police to the office of the coroner-general. However, the Act’s implementation has been delayed due to legal disputes over which Cabinet Secretary should appoint the coroner-general and determine the terms of service.
