NAIROBI,Kenya Oct 6 – Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) has given families and members of the public seven days to identify and collect 85 unclaimed bodies lying at its Farewell Home, warning that it will seek court authorisation to dispose of the remains if they are not claimed.
The hospital published the notice calling on relatives, friends and other members of the public who may help establish the identities of the deceased to come forward within the stipulated period.
The 85 bodies comprise 67 males and 18 females, with the hospital providing names, tag numbers and other identifying details to help families establish whether their relatives are among those being held at the facility.
KNH said the notice had been issued pursuant to the Public Health Act, Cap 242, and the Public Health (Public Mortuaries) Rules, 1991, which provide the legal framework governing the handling and disposal of unclaimed remains.
“Kenyatta National Hospital is in possession of a number of unclaimed bodies at its Farewell Home. Pursuant to Public Health Act Cap 242, interested members of the public are therefore requested to identify and collect the bodies within 7 days, failure to which the hospital will seek authority from the courts to dispose them,” the notice states.
The list contains both identified and unidentified remains. Among those identified by name are Leonard Kiruki Nganga, Tracy Wadida Tikollo, Rodah Wanjiku, Rebecca Kamanje Kathiori, Raphael Musee Tito, Esther Muthoni, Musa Makara Sikong, Kamau Njoroge, Florence Munjona and Juma Baraka Hassan.
Other names appearing on the list include Boniface Omollo, Anthony Wanyonyi, Charles Kyalo Mukumbi, Jeff Mawira, John Omondi, Paul Ghethuka, Omar Nabir, Millicent Wambui, Denis Njenga and Christofor Munene Kirimi.
The notice also lists Mohamed Ali Wanja, Peter Murangiri, Blessings Mulei Munandi, Peter Mwaura, Gilbert Njunge Ujiau, Maria Daudi, Paul Kithura James, Joseph Kibe Mwangi and Josphat Njogu Mburu.
Further entries include David Oigoro Ombati, Nicholas Mutua, Rosalia Aswani, Joseph Gitonga, Daniel Maina, Benson Wandabwa, Dorothy Muthoki, Richard Ochieng, Asenath Nangila, Michael Kanyi Nyambura, Erick Mugambi Njine, Amos Kaberi, Sammy Kangethe and Miriam Mienusi Satima.
A significant portion of the list comprises people whose identities have not been established. The hospital uses descriptions such as Unknown African Man (U.A.M.) and Unknown African Woman (U.A.W.), together with mortuary tag numbers, to identify the remains. One of the entries is also described as a street family.
According to reports on the notice, the tag numbers indicate that some of the remains were registered in 2025 and 2026, suggesting that some bodies have remained at the Farewell Home for several months while efforts to trace their relatives continued.
The latest notice is part of a recurring challenge facing public mortuaries, where unclaimed remains can occupy limited storage space for extended periods.
It is also the second major public appeal by KNH this year. In March, the hospital issued a seven-day notice involving 480 unclaimed bodies, comprising 102 adults and 378 children. Families were similarly warned that KNH would seek court authority to dispose of the remains if they were not identified and collected.
The March notice showed the scale of the problem, with the hospital publishing separate lists for adults and children. Reports indicated at the time that some of the bodies had been at the Farewell Home since as early as January 2024.
KNH has previously issued similar notices as part of the legal process for dealing with remains that have remained unclaimed. The hospital does not automatically dispose of the bodies after the seven-day notice; rather, the latest notice says it will first seek authority from the courts if the remains continue to go unclaimed.
The hospital is therefore urging people who have relatives missing or whose whereabouts have been unknown to check the published list and contact the Farewell Home to assist with identification.
Members of the public with information that could help identify any of the untraced bodies have also been encouraged to come forward before the seven-day notice expires.
