Human rights organization, Amnesty Kenya has voiced its opposition to Nairobi County’s plan to dispose of 120 unclaimed bodies within seven days, arguing that this move could potentially violate the dignity of the deceased.
According to the notice by Nairobi County Governor Johnson Sakaja, the bodies in question were dropped off by police officers from 22 different stations across the city between May 12, 2023, and April 28, 2024.
The majority of the unclaimed bodies are male, with fifteen marked as female and one child, with causes of death ranging from accidents, mob violence, medical conditions and shootings.
“Kasarani has the most cases (5) but Kamukunji, Shauri Moyo, Huruma, and Dandora are also among the police stations listed. Death by shooting cases were reported for Kasarani and Kilimani,” said Amnesty.
Also, in their statement, released on Monday, August 26, the organization highlights the potential risks associated with this mass disposal.
Amnesty International Kenya Points Out the Poor State of Public Institutions
The organization points out that the preservation and disposal of the dead is a devolved function that lies with the 47 county governments.
However, Amnesty Director, Irũngũ Houghton notes that the public institutions tasked with this responsibility are often underfunded and under-regulated.
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“Having spent several hours at that Yala mortuary in 2022, Malindi mortuary in February and several Nairobi mortuaries over the last three months, our public institutions are grossly underfunded and under-regulated,” he said.
The Director notes that in the past, mortuaries have disposed of unclaimed bodies without proper procedures, such as individual body bags, metallic body tags, and in undignified mass graves like rubbish in a dumpsite.
Furthermore, he notes the National Coroner has since developed standard operating procedures that require morticians to trace fingerprints from each unclaimed body with the National Registration Bureau and conduct autopsies to establish the cause of death.
However, Amnesty says that from Sakaja’s announcement, it remains unclear whether these procedures have been followed for all 120 bodies set for disposal.
Concern That Families Will Not Have Enough Time to Identify Bodies
Additionally, the organization has expressed concern over the short seven-day notice, arguing that it may not provide enough time for families to check if their missing relatives are among the unclaimed bodies.
The organization also raises questions about the degree of public oversight that will accompany the disposal process and how the Nairobi Funeral Home and the Governor will protect themselves from potential future legal issues.
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“How do we ensure that the existing Standard Operating Procedures are followed, and a basic level of dignity will be accorded to the dead?”
“What degree of public oversight will accompany the disposal of these bodies? How does the Funeral Home and the Governor protect themselves in future should mischief be discovered?”
Amnesty called for clear guidelines on disposing unclaimed bodies given the controversy over recent protester deaths and disappearances.
“Given the controversy around the deaths of protesters and those still missing to date, the Morticians and Allied Professionals Association, country governments and the National Coroner must independently develop and publish clear and transparent guidelines for the disposal of unclaimed bodies,” concluded the statement.
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