Mortuary section. [Photo/Daily Nation]
The Moi County Referral Hospital in Voi sub-county mortuary section has been labeled among the most notorious dumping sites of unclaimed bodies in Kenya.
Currently, there are 16 unidentified bodies that have remained in the morgue for over six months.The Haki Africa Chief Executive Officer, Khalid Hussein said the morgue was home to dozens of bodies of people killed and dumped in Tsavo National Park along the Nairobi-Mombasa Highway.
The CEO said most of the bodies were of people killed elsewhere and dumped at the region.
Hussein was speaking at Moi County Referral Hospital on Wednesday where Haki Africa donated detergents, gloves, gumboots, surgical blades and other protective wear valued at Sh50, 000 for morgue workers.
Of the 16 bodies, two are of Ethiopians. Also, a head whose body is missing is being preserved in the mortuary.
“Records show most bodies are from Nairobi or Mombasa. They were dumped at Man-eaters or Ndara along the busy highway,” said Hussein.
The Haki Africa boss said the rate and frequency of body dumping in the region was a pointer to insecurity plaguing parts of the country and asked the government to ensure all citizens were well-guarded.
He wondered on the whereabouts of the body whose head lay in the mortuary, saying there was a need for the County and National Government to partner to contain the rampant dumping of bodies in the region.Other officials present at the event included the County Executive Committee Member for Health, Frank Mwangemi and the Hospital in charge, Felix Kimotho.
The facility has a capacity to accommodate 28 bodies but the high number of unclaimed bodies had congested it.In 2016, a special highway patrol unit was constituted to man the section of Nairobi-Mombasa Highway between Mackinnon Road and Mtito-Andei at night as part of a government initiative to crack down on dumping of bodies.
Mwangemi said the hospital was working closely with the authorities to have the bodies disposed to decongest the facility.
“We are working with relevant stakeholders to see how we can dispose the unclaimed bodies clogging the morgue,” he said.