Grieving family seeks help to clear son's Sh700,000 hospital bill

A family in Misikhu in Bungoma County is distraught after the body of their son was detained by a Coast hospital over Sh700,000 bill.

William Muchika's body has been lying at Mombasa Hospital as the family grapples with how to clear the bill.

Speaking to The Standard, the family led by the deceased's grandmother, Penina Wambilianga, said that Muchika left home in search of a job but became ill and died while receiving treatment in Mombasa.

 “We are unable to raise funds to foot the hospital bill, which has accrued to Sh700,000. We have held four fundraising events and only managed to raise Sh28,000, which is a drop in the ocean. The hospital continues to detain the body until the bill is fully cleared," she said.

The widow has called on local leaders and President William Ruto to intervene and help them clear the bill and collect the body for burial.

Simon Wambilianga, a family member, said they are unable to raise the money.

“If my grandmother sells the parcel she has, it means we will be homeless. We are calling on well-wishers to intervene and help us. We also urge the hospital to consider waiving the bill so that we can give our brother a befitting send-off and find closure,” he noted.

The funeral committee chairman Patrick Karemama said efforts to raise funds for the past one month have only yielded Sh28,000.

Jane Simiyu, a village elder, said that, in line with the Bukusu community's cultural beliefs and norms, it would be an abomination to have the body buried away from the ancestral home, as it is believed to cause restlessness for the spirit of the deceased and bring misfortune to the living.