The Busia County Government has issued a 14-day public
notice for relatives to claim 14 unclaimed bodies at Kocholia Sub-County
Hospital.
After the lapse of the notice, the bodies will be disposed
of in accordance with the law to ease congestion at the facility.
The hospital's mortuary, which has a capacity of only 16
bodies, has been operating under pressure after the bodies remained unclaimed
for more than two years.
According to the notice issued by Medical Superintendent Dr
Evans Sumbeiywo, members of the public have until August 7 to identify and
collect the bodies.
Failure to do so will prompt the county to seek legal
authority to dispose of them.
"The hospital will seek the necessary legal authority
to proceed with the disposal of the bodies in accordance with the law,"
the notice dated July 24, 2026, states.
The notice has been copied to the County Director of Health,
the Sub-County Medical Officer of Health, the Officers Commanding the relevant
police stations and the mortuary in-charge.
Hospital administrator Evans Okedi said the move was
intended to decongest the mortuary and enable it to continue serving the public
effectively.
He said the 14 bodies—11 adult men, two adult women and a
baby girl—were brought to the mortuary by various police stations across the
sub-county between 2024 and 2025.
Okedi said the decision also followed concerns raised by the
Auditor General during the 2025-26 financial year audit, which recommended the
lawful disposal of unclaimed bodies to ease congestion at the facility.
Many of the deceased, he said, were victims who drowned in
the Malakisi and Malaba rivers or were found dead in advanced stages of
decomposition in their homes.
"The mortuary has a capacity of only 16 bodies, and the
unclaimed bodies are putting significant pressure on the facility," Okedi
said.
He said once the notice period expires and the necessary legal approval is obtained, the bodies will be buried in a public mass grave in Siaya county because Busia county does not have a designated public cemetery.
