City Hall waives mortuary fees in bid to decongest morgues

City Mortuary in Nairobi County. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • At the moment, City Mortuary has 42 unclaimed bodies, while another 87 are yet to be collected for interment.
  • The Public Health Act stipulates that a body should be removed from a mortuary within two weeks or be disposed of.

City Hall on Tuesday waived mortuary fees at all public mortuaries in Nairobi. 

Nairobi residents have until March 31 to pick bodies of their loved ones lying at the City Mortuary, Mbagathi Hospital mortuary and Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital mortuary, Health CEC Hitan Majevdia said.

“The waiver applies to all mortuaries under the county government. Members of the public are asked to identify and collect the bodies within one week," Mr Majevdia said.

He added that if the bodies are not collected, the county government will seek authority from the courts to dispose of them.

The Health official said move aims at decongesting the city morgues.

At the moment, City Mortuary has 42 unclaimed bodies, while another 87 are yet to be collected for interment.

The Public Health Act stipulates that a body should be removed from a mortuary within two weeks or be disposed of.