Twelve bodies have remained unclaimed at the Gilgil Sub-County Hospital mortuary for periods stretching back to June 2024, raising fresh concerns over missing persons, delayed identification, and gaps in family tracing across Nakuru County.

A public notice issued by the hospital on January 13, 2026, indicates that some of the bodies have been in the mortuary for more than a year, far exceeding the 21-day holding period provided for under the Public Health Act.

The hospital has now issued a 30-day ultimatum, after which the remains will be buried in a mass grave at the Gilgil Sub-County Cemetery if no relatives come forward.

The unclaimed bodies include adult men and women, a child, and an infant. Several are listed as unidentified, recorded only by general descriptors, while others were known to hospital authorities but remain without traced next of kin. Records show the bodies were received from Gilgil and Kikopey areas and reported through local police stations.

Some of the earliest recorded deaths date back to June and July 2024, while others occurred in 2025, underscoring how long families may have been searching without knowing the fate of their loved ones.

Health officials say cases involving unidentified individuals and persons living with mental illness are particularly difficult, as many die far from their homes or without documentation, making family tracing slow and often unsuccessful.

This development comes shortly after 49 other unclaimed bodies were announced by Nakuru Level Five Referral and Teaching Hospital and the Nakuru County Public Mortuary, pointing to a growing countywide trend. In total, at least 61 bodies across Nakuru remain unclaimed months after death.

In the letter issued by the Gilgil sub county hospital medical superintendent Nancie Wakesho local administrators, police, and public health officials have been notified in a final attempt to trace families before burial arrangements proceed.

As the days count down, the long dates on the mortuary records highlight a troubling possibility, that some missing persons reported months ago may already be lying unidentified in Nakuru public mortuaries, waiting to be identified

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Gilgil hospital morgue seeks to clear 12 bodies left unidentified for over a year

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Purity Kinuthia