A couple in Nakuru, both of whom are deaf, experienced heartbreak when their seven-month-old baby’s body disappeared without explanation from the morgue where it had been stored three days after her death.
For the second consecutive day, Sharon Saidi and her spouse Daniel Kipchirichir were unable to find comfort at the morgue of Nakuru Level Five Hospital, as the facility could not provide satisfactory answers.
Hospital records show that baby Mercy Chepng’eno was admitted on February 2, 2025, diagnosed with severe pneumonia, and passed away the following day.
The couple, accompanied by sign language interpreters, stated that the body was transferred to the morgue located within the hospital and that they settled all associated fees.
Esther Andanje, a sign language interpreter accompanying the couple, stated that they were kept waiting from 10 am while other families came and went with the bodies of their loved ones, as they were overlooked.
Saidi and I went up to the attendants, who informed us that the body had been taken out of the fridges but was too stiff to be dressed. „They requested one hour, but no response came,” Andanje stated.
“At approximately 3 pm, one of the staff members treated us discourteously. He inquired about how and where we thought he would obtain the body, despite having already informed us that the body was missing.” Odanga stated, “He summoned the police to remove us.”
She disclosed that one of the attendants shared with them in confidence that there had been no confusion regarding the bodies; rather, a body was genuinely missing under mysterious circumstances, and they had a suspect they were considering.
“A staff member confided in us that one of them had been transferred from Gilgil recently after a similar incident. Odanga said, “She advised us to report the matter to the police right away.
Saidi and Kipchirchir went to Kaptembwo Police Station in Nakuru West, where the incident was recorded with OB number 70 on February 6, 2025, at approximately 5 pm.
On Friday, family and church members returned to the hospital hoping the attendants had found the body so they could proceed with the burial, but they were left even more shocked.
Wilson Mwangi, who serves on the health committee at Nakuru’s county assembly, described the incident as shocking, especially given the increasing occurrences of human trafficking and illegal organ harvesting.
He charged the hospital with negligence, pointing out that an inquiry into management practices revealed no proactive measures had been implemented to locate the missing body.
Simon Nasieku, a defender of human rights, cautioned that the community will support the family to guarantee that justice is served.
He remarked that the incident reveals the failure of the county’s health systems, which has had serious consequences for those using public medical services.
