Body of a seven-month-baby disappears at a hospital morgue

Signage of the Nakuru Level 5 Hospital. [Coutesy] A deaf couple in Nakuru was left heartbroken after the body of their seven-month-old baby vanished mysteriously at a morgue it was being preserved three days after her death. Sharon Saidi and her husband Daniel Kipchirichir were inconsolable at the Nakuru Level Five Hospital morgue as the facility failed to give satisfactory answers for the second day. Hospital records indicate that baby Mercy Chepng'eno was admitted to the hospital on February 2, 2025, and was diagnosed with severe pneumonia and succumbed the next day. The couple who were accompanied by sign language interpreters said that the body was moved to the morgue which is within the hospital and they paid all the relevant fees. "All was set for the burial at our rural home in Bomet. On February 6, we came to collect the body. The morgue attendants asked us to hand over the clothes and a coffin," said Saidi. Esther Andanje, a sign language interpreter accompanying the couple said they were kept waiting from 10 am as other families came in and left with bodies of their loved ones as they were ignored. "Saidi and I approached the attendants who told has that the body had been removed from the fridges but was too stiff to be dressed. They asked for one hour but nothing was forthcoming," said Andanje. Winnie Odanga, Kipchirchir's sister explained that at 1 pm they approached the attendants who revealed to them that there was a mix-up on the bodies and that they could not trace that of baby Chepng'eno. "At around 3 pm, one of the attendants became rude to us. He asked us how and where we expected him to get the body and he had already told us the body was missing. He called in the police to eject us," said Odanga. She revealed that one of the attendants confided with them that there was no mix-up in the bodies but indeed the body was missing mysteriously and they had a suspect in mind. "One of the staff members told us in confidence that one of them had been transferred from Gilgil recently after a similar incident. She advised us to report the matter to the police immediately," said Odanga. Saidi and Kipchirchir proceeded to Kaptembwo Police Station in Nakuru West where the matter was booked vide OB number 70 of February 6, 2025, at around 5 pm. The family and church members returned to the hospital on Friday hoping that the attendants had located the body to allow them to proceed with the burial but were left even more shocked. "I am disturbed that we not only lost our baby to the illness but we have also lost her body. We are being told the matter is under investigation. How did our daughter's body vanish from the morgue?" Kipchirchir posed. Wilson Mwangi, a member of the health committee at the county assembly of Nakuru termed the incident as shocking coming at a time when incidents of human trafficking and illegal organ harvesting are on the rise. "We have all documents indicating that the baby was admitted and died in this hospital. A burial permit was processed yet they can't produce the body. This is dumbfounding," said Mwangi. He accused the hospital of laxity citing that after questioning the management it emerged that they had not taken any proactive steps to trace the missing body. "The hospital is yet to contact families that collected bodies of young babies during the period to verify if they may have taken the wrong body. They must take responsibility," said Mwangi. Simon Nasieku, a human rights defender warned that the community will stand with the family to ensure justice is done. "Without knowing we were here for this matter, we realized the morgue staff were taking the couple in circles and talking rudely just because of their disability. We shall bring everything to a halt here if the body is not produced in the next 24 hours," said Nasieku. He noted that the incident exposes the collapse of the health systems in the county which has come at a price on those seeking medical services in public facilities. "A doctor lost his life mysteriously in this hospital recently. Long queues due to absentee staff have become a norm here. A body has now vanished. What is the next horrible thing that is bound to happen here?" he posed. In a statement to newsrooms, Nakuru County Executive Committee Member for Health Roselyn Mungai acknowledged that they had been briefed over the incident. "We have already informed the DCI who have started their investigations. We are determined to ensure the disappearance mystery is unraveled and those responsible are held accountable," said Ms Mungai.

Body of a seven-month-baby disappears at a hospital morgue

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