Citizen TV’s Odee Francis Narrates Trauma of Gathering News Inside City Mortuary Corridors

For most television viewers, news arrives in polished packages delivered by presenters under bright studio lights. But for Citizen TV crime reporter Odee Francis, the reality of the job is found in the dark, silent corners of the Nairobi City Mortuary.

In a 2025 highlight report, Francis shared a rare look into the life of a crime journalist. His "office" is not a desk, but the streets and the cold rooms where the dead wait to be identified.

The Silence of the Unknown

Reporting from the City Mortuary is a recurring part of Francis’s routine. During 2025, he visited the facility countless times to track stories of people who died without identification.

Many bodies arrive at the gates marked simply as "unknown."

Francis explains that while others follow the words of the living, he follows the silence of death.

He believes that real stories start where people no longer have a voice. To provide an accurate report, he must often witness things the public never sees.

"My office is on the streets... I follow the silence that was silenced forever by death. This is where the real gathering of information begins,” Francis stated.

Witnessing the Kware Tragedy

One of the most harrowing assignments Francis covered involved the Kware killings. In mid-2024, several dismembered bodies were discovered in a quarry in the Mukuru area of Nairobi.

The remains were transported to the City Mortuary in sacks and polythene bags.

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Francis was on the front lines as the bags were opened. The air was heavy with the scent of decomposition and the anger of the public.

He had to physically count body parts to ensure the statistics he reported to the nation were accurate. During this time, the morgue was crowded with grieving families and angry youths demanding the truth.

The Physical and Personal Toll

The nature of Francis’s work stays with him long after the camera stops rolling. His colleagues at Citizen TV often notice the physical impact of his assignments.

They sometimes joke that he "smells of the mortuary" when he returns from the field, urging him to freshen up before interacting with others.

Beyond the smell, there is a constant threat to his safety. Because he investigates sensitive crimes, strangers sometimes visit the Citizen TV offices looking for him with unknown intentions.

"Media ethics do not allow us to show you the body. But as a journalist, I must arrive, look, and verify so that I can give you the information,” he said, while opening one body freezer at the morgue.

Leaving the Job at the Door

Despite the horror of seeing dismembered remains and "unknown" victims, Francis must maintain a normal life. When his shift ends, he makes a conscious effort to change his expression before reaching home.

He strives to greet his family with a happy face, hiding the trauma of the day’s work so they can welcome him warmly.

For Francis, the stories do not end because the dead in the city do not stay silent if one knows how to listen.