Residents visiting Kakamega County Referral Hospital have raised concerns over the way mortuary attendants move dead bodies openly through hospital wards, saying the practice is frightening patients and causing emotional distress.
The complaints sparked an online debate after a video showed residents narrating what they described as a troubling experience inside the county hospital.
In the video, the residents say mortuary attendants wheel bodies on open stretchers through wards without warning or screening, exposing other patients to distressing scenes.
According to the narration, the movement of the bodies often happens at night, when patients are already anxious and vulnerable.
The resident says the sight of large mortuary trolleys carrying dead bodies through wards leaves many patients shaken, with some fearing they could be next.
Kakamega County Referral Hospital is the largest public health facility in western Kenya and serves thousands of patients daily from Kakamega and neighboring counties.
A resident who spoke in the video said the experience stays with patients long after leaving the hospital.
“Whenever that trolley passes through the ward, everyone knows someone has died, and people start fearing that they could be next,” the resident said.
Fear and Trauma Inside Kakamega Wards
In the video testimony, the resident recounts a painful personal experience involving a sick child who later died while admitted to the hospital.
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The resident says mortuary attendants arrived at night with a large trolley and moved the child’s body openly through the ward, in full view of other patients.
According to the account, the arrival of the trolley immediately changed the mood in the ward. Some patients became silent, others anxious, as fear spread among those still fighting illness.
“One of the people in the ward whispered that the trolley was coming, and patients thought they were next,” the resident said.
The resident added that the hospital does not appear to have smaller or specialized trolleys for children, nor systems to move bodies discreetly.
Families grieving their loved ones are forced to watch as bodies are taken away in a manner they say lacks dignity and compassion.
Other residents quoted in the video said the open movement of bodies interferes with healing and recovery, with some patients experiencing panic, sleeplessness, and emotional breakdowns after witnessing the scenes.
They argue that hospitals should protect patients from unnecessary trauma, especially in wards where people are already weak, scared, and vulnerable.
Calls for County Intervention
Residents are now calling on the Kakamega County government to urgently intervene and review mortuary practices at the referral hospital.
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They want the health department to provide covered, quiet trolleys and establish clear procedures for discreet body movement.
Health advocates say hospitals are meant to restore hope, not increase fear.
They warn that repeated exposure to such scenes can negatively affect patients’ mental health and recovery.
Questions have also been raised over why the hospital lacks screened corridors or designated routes for moving bodies, given the size and importance of the facility.
The hospital’s management had also not commented on whether the facility plans to change its procedures.
The latest complaints add to a long list of controversies that have repeatedly put Kakamega County Referral Hospital under scrutiny.
In the past, the hospital has faced public outrage over reports of bodies being left in wards for hours, mortuary mix‑ups, overcrowding, and poor handling of patients and the deceased.
Residents say the recurring nature of these incidents points to deeper problems within the county’s health system, including weak management, poor infrastructure, and a lack of dignity in patient care.
