Residents recover girl’s decomposing body at suspected abortion clinic

Residents view the body of a girl that was recovered from a clinic located at Opapo Trading Centre in Rongo, Migori County. [PHOTO: STANLEY ONGWAE/STANDARD]

Migori, Kenya: Residents of Opapo in Rongo, Migori County have recovered the decomposing body of a girl suspected to have procured abortion from a private clinic in the area.

Brian Ottawa, who lives near the clinic, said there was a bad smell emanating from within the room, tucked in one of Opapo trading centre’s back streets, and this prompted neighbours to break into the clinic.

“We have always suspected that the owner of this clinic was conducting unsafe abortions and this smell convinced us that something was very wrong inside the premises,” he said.

Ottawa said once they broke into the clinic, they found the nude, decomposing body under the bed covered by a blanket that only concealed the legs and waist.

Rongo OCPD Catherine Irungu confirmed the incident and said no one has been arrested in connection with the girl’s death.

“We are still investigating the case but everything we have seen points out to a botched abortion because the victim’s undergarments and genitals were covered in clotted blood,” Irungu said.

She appealed to families that maybe in doubt of their kin’s whereabouts to report to nearby police post even as the girl’s body was taken to Homa Bay Hospital for a postmortem examination.

Neighbours said the dead girl was first seen on Saturday in the company of a young man and they were both headed towards the clinic. They said the man was later seen leaving the premises alone.

Another neighbour said she saw a young lady cleaning the room very early Wednesday morning but she later locked up and left.

Residents said the clinic has been involved in more than three incidences where young girls have died while procuring an abortion at the facility.

They accused county health sector regulators for continuing to allow quacks to operate illegal health facilities in the area.