Grave stench in Gatundu South as mortuary services grind to a halt

Kiambu, Kenya: When the late Gatundu South MP Joseph Ngugi requested the Government to expand the mortuary at Gatundu Level 4 Hospital during a presidential function in the town, he was shouted down by the crowd in attendance.

Many misunderstood his point. They said constructing a bigger morgue would end up bringing a bad omen to the area where many more people would die.

CRISIS MODE

Faced with a hostile crowd and bashing from fellow leaders who had attended the presidential function to launch the expansion of the hospital, the late MP quietly abandoned the push.

However, two years down the line, the reality is slowly dawning on the locals that their former lawmaker may have been right after all.

Currently, the mortuary is in a crisis. It is overstretched with very limited space to accommodate more bodies. Two of the three refrigeration machines have also not been functional since last November and the remaining one has a mechanical problem as well.

So bad is the situation that the area within a radius of about 500 metres is a no-go zone due to the stench from decomposing bodies inside the morgue.

Mourners coming to collect bodies of their loved ones are forced to part with Sh100 for their relatives to be dressed on their behalf due to the current state of the facility.

“The situation at the morgue is pathetic. The stench is unbearable and the bodies are being neglected,” said Alice Wangui, a mourner.

The mortuary built in 1960s has a capacity of 30 bodies but currently holds about 100.The facility serves the expansive Gatundu North, Gatundu South and some parts of Juja constituencies.

“The county government has taken too long to fix the problem, which has been here for the last three months. It is inconveniencing a lot of people,” said George Njoroge, another bereaved.

A mortuary attendant said the situation was alarming and a health hazard that required immediate attention.

SERIOUS PROBLEM

“The morgue is in dire need of immediate action. It has actually reached a point where we are turning away bodies since we can no longer take any more in the current situation,” the attendant, who requested anonymity, told The Standard.

Dr Patrick Nyaga, the hospital’s superintendent, acknowledged there was a serious problem due to the breakdown of the preservation equipment.

He said the mortuary was overstretched due to its limited capacity.