Family seeks govt help as KNH holds kin’s body for 2 years
By Wangari Njuguna, October 8, 2025A family from Kandani village in Kigumo, Lower Murang’a, is seeking the government’s intervention to have the body of their kin, which has been withheld by a hospital for close to two years, released.
Verania Wairimu reportedly died in November 2023 at the Kenyatta National Hospital private wing, where she had been admitted for some time, leaving a huge bill of Ksh1.7 million.
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The family, however, was unable to raise the money, and the hospital’s administration declined to release the body until the bill was paid.
Peter Njogu, a family member, said they sold nearly all the properties at home in a bid to raise the money and even held a fundraiser, but only managed to get Ksh700, 000, leaving a balance of Ksh1 million.
Njogu, however, says the bill has increased significantly due to the morgue fee, which has accumulated over time.
“We are feeling desperate and now seeking the intervention of the government to have the body of our sister released so that she can be buried,” said Njogu.
“The family sold all the disposable items, but the money collected was not enough to foot the bill, and we don’t know what else to do,” he added.
Immaculate Waithira, daughter of the deceased, said the situation has thrown the family into an emotional turmoil, and everything in their lives came to a standstill.
Waithira said they don’t even have a parcel of land they can sell to get money to pay the bill, which has now forced them to turn to the government for help.
“All we want is for the hospital to release the body of our mother for us to be able to bury her so that we can be at peace,” said Waithira.
Court rulling
The family is also pinning its hopes on the ruling by the High Court in September 2025, which is expected to prohibit hospitals from detaining bodies over unpaid medical bills.
Justice Nixon Sifuna described the practice as unlawful, unconstitutional, and one that violates human dignity.
Sifuna said no hospital in the country should detain the body over the unpaid bills, saying this causes emotional distress and trauma to the bereaved families.
Waithira said she is hoping the hospital will heed the court’s ruling and release the body to the family even as they figure out how to settle the bill.