Wrong Body? Nanyuki family, hospital tussle over dead woman's identity
Mr Samuel Lochakari Ekwal who claims the body of his mother, Margaret Alegai Ekwal, went missing from Nanyuki Teaching and Referral Hospital mortuary and that they were given the wrong one on the planned day of burial, which they declined to pick.
On January 13, a convoy of vehicles snaked its way through the busy Nanyuki town heading to the Nanyuki Teaching and Referral Hospital mortuary.
But what was planned to be a befitting send-off by family, friends and relatives of 80-year-old Margaret Alegai Ekwal, turned into two months of torment after they were reportedly given a wrong body.
They insisted on viewing the body on the day of the burial at the mortuary and they concluded that it was not that of their kin.
Margaret, a mother of eight children, died in her house in Thingithu, Nanyuki on January 7.
Ready for funeral
Her relatives had ensured that burial preparations were concluded before proceeding to pick her body, ready for her funeral at the Nanyuki public cemetery. But this did not happen following the disagreement of the body’s identification.
To date, Mr Samuel Lochakari Ekwal is optimistic that the hospital will give them his mother’s body.
He says they reported his mother’s death at the Nanyuki Police Station, since she died at home of old age, before removing the body to the public mortuary.
Mismatch
After raising the issue of mismatch, the family reported the matter to the same police station.
They claim that there has been no assistance from the hospital and that they were directed to pay for a DNA test to be conducted to ascertain whether there was a mismatch.
"The hospital’s management has been taking us in circles. Telling us to pay for DNA is just a scheme by the hospital to deny us justice because we cannot afford that service," Mr Lochakari says.
"We left the coffin, clothes and flowers at the mortuary after they tried to force us to collect the wrong body. Since my mother died, it has been my wish to accord her the last respect. But that wish has been denied by the hospital’s management," the 43-year-old man said.
Emotional torture
And Ms Cheptoo Mbuikai — a relative — says they have undergone emotional torture due to the matter.
"We had a fundraiser for the burial and relatives and friends had travelled from Baragoi, Isiolo and other parts of the country to pay their last respects to Margaret. We have suffered enough emotional torture and our prayer is that we will get the correct body. We are a family and we cannot all be telling a lie that that body is not ours," Ms Mbuikai says.
But Laikipia County Chief Officer for Health Donald Mogoi maintains that the body in question is that of Margaret and is still unclaimed after her family refused to pick it.
Dr Mogoi says details of the body were captured on January 7 when it was taken to the mortuary.
"The labelling of the body is very clear that it belongs to the family. It is true that we are in possession of the body at the morgue and it has not been claimed by anybody. Claiming that the body is different is a total lie," Dr Mogoi told the Nation.
The senior health official said they did not mean to oppress the family or deny them justice by requesting them to facilitate a DNA test.
"They are claiming that the body does not belong to them, hence the only tiebreaker is for them to facilitate DNA [testing] as an alternative option. If you feel the body is not that of your mother, then conduct DNA, and I am 100 per cent sure that it would turn out to be their body," Dr Mogoi says.
Mr Lochakari and his relatives have continued to petition the local health department to produce the correct body of their kin and it is still unclear when the matter will be resolved.
