Drama was witnessed at Nakuru level five hospital mortuary on Friday morning, as hundreds of street families stormed the facility, demanding the release of a body belonging to one of them, who died three months ago.

Charles Mwangi, 40, is said to have succumbed while nursing burn wounds at PGH, following a fire incident at gioto dumpsite.

However, the move by the facility to detain the body seems to have angered members of the street families in Nakuru.

On Friday morning, the members mobilized themselves and purchased a coffin from the dealers next to Nakuru level five hospital.

They then carried the coffin on their shoulders and marched to the morgue, all in solidarity to have the body released for burial.

Their entry to the mortuary left everyone including patients and all those who had come to collect bodies of their loved ones in shock.

With shouts and chants, they made their way inside the mortuary with the coffin, ready to receive the body.

It called for the intervention of the mortuary attendants who demanded order at the facility before the body could be released to them.

Speaking to Mtaa Wangu outside the mortuary, the street family members led by Mr. Charles Opiyo said the body had been detained at the facility on claims that a relative had shown up.

Charles Opiyo, leader of the street families in Nakuru.

Photo credit: PRISTONE MAMBILI/MTAA WANGU

Opiyo, who has been taking care of the street families for the last seven years, says most of them have no families or relatives and that their solidarity is what matters whenever one of them dies.

The hospital bill, he revealed, accumulated to Sh 165,000.

“We are here to demand for the release of the body of one of us. We are wondering why the body was detained yet we had processed the waiver documents” said Opiyo.

By the time of publishing this article, the group was waiting for final paperwork to have the body released, with Opiyo revealing that they had already secured burial space at Nakuru south cemetery where they would inter the late.

pmambili@gmail.com

Drama at PGH as street families show up carrying a coffin

Author Spotlight

Pristone Mambili