Family agony as kin's body is held for 5 months over KES. 1 million bill.
A family in Ihura village Gatundu South, Kiambu County is appealing to well-wishers to help them raise KES. 1,000,000 to secure the real of the body of their 60 year-old brother which has been detained at a Nairobi hospital due to pending bills.
George Mwenje Mwangi’s body has been detained by the
administration of The Nairobi Women’s Hospital since January 9th
this year after his relatives failed to raise the money owed to the hospital.
According to the deceased’s Sister Njeri Kiguru, the late Mwenje
was attacked by unknown assailants on the afternoon of 1st January
2017 outside his home and left for the dead. Neighbours who later saw him took
him to several hospitals who declined to admit him due to the severity of his
injuries.
“At the time, doctors in public hospitals were on strike and
after going round several hospitals in vain, they resulted to The Nairobi
Women’s Hospital where he was admitted as an emergency case,” said Njeri.
Njeri says that he spent his entire stay at the hospital in the
ICU but he later succumbed to the injuries after about a week.
The bill by then was KES. 800,000 but it keeps growing by
the day due to post-mortem fees and the daily mortuary charges of KES. 500. The
family says that they have done all in their power to raise the money but to no
avail.
“He has been living alone all his life and he happened to have
sold part of his shamba before he died. We have managed to get KES. 450,000
from the buyer who bought it as the balance due from that transaction,” explained
the sister.
Njeri says that even after receiving that money, the
hospital administration has declined to release the body until the entire
amount due is paid.
The family hail from a humble background thus raising a
million shillings in itself is unimaginable. Efforts to sell a section of the
remaining piece of land has proven impossible as this calls for a long and
tedious process of land succession procedure which takes quite a long time.
They now appealing to well-wishers to come to their aid and
assist them in having the body released by the hospital for burial.
“If a well-wisher can be found to help in having the body
released by the hospital for burial, we will be very relieved,” said the
deceased’s sister.
Any inquiries on financial help can be channeled through Thika
West Sub-county Information Officer, within the DCC’s compound.
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