Taita family seeks help to get body of kin stuck in Bomet hospital

Seated outside her house in Ikanga village in Taita Taveta County, Ms Elpinah Marami recalls in grief the good times she spent with her granddaughter Hope Mbole when she was in good health. 

Ms Mbole, 33, died early last month and was described by her family as lovable, helpful and kind. 

She had been ailing since 2020 and was taken to Tenwek Hospital in Bomet County in February. She underwent surgery to remove a brain tumour.

She had been in and out of hospital and the family watched helplessly as she slowly wasted away and died in the ICU on May 12.

The family says medics admitted they could do nothing to alleviate her pain.

Ms Marami told Nation.Africa that she wished to have closure by giving her granddaughter a decent send-off but she is almost giving up because the family needs to clear a Sh2.1 million medical bill.

The distraught grandmother said the family is physically, emotionally and financially drained. She said they have held several fundraisers but they need more money.

"I am seeking help to retrieve the body of my granddaughter, who is detained at the hospital. We cannot raise the money because we have exhausted all avenues of raising funds," she said.

She said this loss adds to the pain of losing her son, Hope's father, eight years ago.

"My son died and we buried him here. Now his daughter has died but what hurts me most is that I'm unable to bury her," she said.

She said she had asked for help from political leaders, including those running for office, but they have not come through for her, and she was denied a permit to raise money.

She said the local chief declined to issue the permit to her.

"The chief told me that it's a political season so they cannot issue the permit. I did not understand the logic behind that because my problem has nothing to do with politics," she said.

Her granddaughter's illness had drained the family’s finances. 

Ms Marami's health has also been affected because she has been grieving for weeks.

"I hope that they (well-wishers) will see this through the media and come to my rescue. As a family and friends, we have tried but we have reached the wall," she said.

She also hopes that the hospital will waive part of the bill and agree with the family on how to pay the balance in instalments. 

"We are willing to pay but we don't have any means to get the money. What we want is to bury my granddaughter so that I can get closure that she's gone," she said.

Victoria Mwake, an aunt of Hope, said the bill accrued in the two years that her niece battled the disease.

She said the family and friends had raised Sh700,000 and had depleted all their resources to try to reach the target.

"The hospital has demanded that we should first clear the entire bill before it could release the body. We ask the hospital to give us a waiver so that we can bury our daughter," she said.

She said the family cannot make funeral arrangements as the hospital cannot release the body before the full payment is made. 

“We are appealing for the hospital to release the body for burial because we cannot afford any more money. We are afraid that holding the body longer in the mortuary will continue to push up the charges,” she said.

[email protected]