Busia hospital to dispose of 38 unclaimed bodies at its mortuary
By Aloys Michael, November 12, 2025The Busia County Referral Hospital has given families a 30-day notice to claim the bodies of their loved ones, warning that any unclaimed remains will be buried after the deadline.
The 38 bodies have been in the mortuary for three years now.
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During a press briefing on Wednesday, November 12, 2025, the hospital’s presiding officer, Xaviour Baraza, stated that the limited storage capacity has led to significant storage challenges.
“Hii mochari yetu ikon a capacity yak u hold only 12 bodies na kwa sasa tuko na 64 ambapo preservation ni challenge ju gharama ya kutibu hii miili ni ghali ndo maana tungependa ku dispose hii miili,” he said.
The hospital has also stated that it has received clearance from the police to proceed with the disposal of the bodies.
“Tumepewa okay na OCS wa Busia, Bumala, Nambale kuwa tunaeza dispose.Kama una mtu alipotea na hamjui mahali alienda 2-3 years, tunawakaribisha mkuje muangalie kwa mochari yetu labda mnaezapata yuko hapa, mtu akikosa then tuta dispose hizo bodies,” Daniel Mukholo, a Public Health officer in Busia.
This is not the first such case reported in the country. Some hospitals across Kenya have in the past issued similar notices, citing congestion in mortuaries and the high cost of preserving bodies that remain unclaimed for extended periods.
For instance, on June 3, 2025, Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) announced that it will dispose of 124 unclaimed bodies if they are not collected in the next seven days.
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Unclaimed bodies
KNH requested the public to visit its Farewell Home and identify their kin before it seeks authority to dispose of the bodies.
“Kenyatta National Hospital is in possession of a number of unclaimed bodies at its Farewell Home,” the statement read.
“Pursuant to Public Health Act Cap 242 [Subsidiary Legislation Public Health (Public Mortuaries) Rules,1991], 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 list of unclaimed bodies includes deceased persons of various ages and genders, including infants and adults.
The list includes the deceased’s gender and tag numbers to assist in identification.
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According to the Public Health Act 242 (Public Mortuaries), any person who keeps the dead in a public morgue for more than 10 days shall pay to the Medical Officer of Health a penalty of one hundred shillings for each day the body remains uncollected.
If a body remains unclaimed for 21 days, the hospital is allowed to dispose of it as long as they have court orders and had given a 14-day public notice.