Punishing the dead: How hospitals are adding more pain to poor families

Several families across the country are struggling with double tragedies after their sick or deceased kin were detained by facilities, prolonging their pain and ushering in a state of uncertainty.

They are among the dozens of families that are still unable to bury their loved ones because of accumulated medical bills.

Hospitals are detaining bodies in morgues, demanding that families settle huge balances before releasing them. The situation has left many in despair, with some forced to sell land and property just to give their loved ones a dignified send-off.

For others, the agony of watching their relatives lie in morgues for months, unable to offset crushing hospital bills, is simply unbearable.

A spot check by The Sunday Standard and interviews with affected families reveal the extent of desperation. Some relatives have even offered title deeds to mortuaries as security in a bid to retrieve their loved ones’ remains for burial, often without success.

While some continue to cling to hope that well-wishers will help clear the bills, others say they are losing faith in ever giving their deceased relatives a decent send-off as the debts keep mounting.

This is the plight of Njeri Mwangi’s family from Kandani village, Kigumo, whose remains have been detained at Kenyatta National Hospital’s private wing since November 2023 over a Sh1.7 million bill.

Despite selling property worth Sh700,000 to offset part of the amount, negotiations with the hospital have stalled.

Family members Immaculate Waithira and Peter Njogu say it is heartbreaking that the hospital has ignored their efforts and continues to demand security before releasing the body.

Debt burden

While some families manage to strike deals with hospitals to bury their loved ones, the burden of debt continues to haunt them for years.

In Kibingoti village, Kirinyaga County, the family of the late Edwin Kariuki is still paying off a Sh1.9 million bill owed to Mathari Hospital in Nyeri, four years after his burial.

According to Kariuki’s brother, Teddy Rukenya, the family entered into a repayment agreement with the hospital following a protracted standoff over the release of the body.

“The hospital had detained the body over an outstanding bill of Sh1.9 million, forcing local leaders to intervene,” Rukenya said. “We’re still paying the bill. Even after burying him four years ago, we cannot default because we signed a formal agreement.”

He added that the family managed to clear the mortuary fees before formalising the repayment plan. Despite the emotional and financial toll, they remain committed to fulfilling the terms to avoid legal repercussions.

The growing number of such cases underscores the crushing financial toll of healthcare on many Kenyan families, particularly those grappling with long hospital stays or psychiatric care.

It also exposes the gaping hole in medical insurance coverage for low-income households, pushing bereaved families into years of debt even after losing their loved ones.

According to rights activist Jane Wambui, many families are struggling under the weight of medical bills, often forced to seek loans or rely on endless community fundraisers.

“In the villages, there is an outcry as families conduct weekly fundraisers to raise the required funds,” Wambui said.

In Katendewa village, Ganze sub-county, Kilifi, one such family has been unable to bury their relative for two weeks after Kilifi County Referral Hospital detained the body of John Kaingu over unpaid bills.The family has since turned to friends and well-wishers for help, desperate to give their loved one a dignified farewell.

These cases reflect the deepening crisis of body detention in hospitals and mortuaries across Kenya, a practice that continues to inflict emotional and financial trauma on grieving families.

At Kilifi County Referral Hospital, the family of John Kaingu, who died on September 28 from heart failure after 12 days of treatment, was billed Sh55,000 for admission and Sh12,000 in mortuary fees. Despite clearing the bill through fundraisers, they are still unable to transport the body home for burial.

In Murang’a County, the family of Nancy Wangechi from Wanjengi village faced a three-month ordeal after her body was detained in a Nairobi morgue over a Sh2.5 million hospital bill. The family had to raise Sh900,000 to secure her release, with the remainder to be paid in installments over six months.

Shockingly, in the same village, another family has been unable to bury their kin whose body has remained at the Kenyatta University mortuary for seven months due to an outstanding Sh3.2 million bill.

These stories expose the harsh intersection of poverty, healthcare costs, and human dignity — where even in death, the poor cannot find peace.

In Kisii County, several families are living through the same heartbreaking ordeal — unable to bury their loved ones because of unpaid hospital bills.

For Steven Mokaya, the pain has stretched on for months. His family has not buried their mother, who died five months ago, due to an outstanding bill of about Sh600,000.
“We could have buried our mother by now, but we owe the hospital over Sh500,000. We managed to raise Sh120,000 through borrowing, but the balance remains,” said Mokaya.

He added that the delay goes against Kisii traditions, where burial is expected to take place within a week of death.
“My mother’s body has been in the mortuary for five months, which is against our culture. We’re even willing to sell land to settle the bill, but we haven’t found a buyer yet. My sisters have not gone back to their marital homes because we haven’t buried our mother,” he said.

A similar case involves Duke Masese, also from Kisii County, who has been unable to bury his sister for months due to the huge hospital bill her family cannot afford to clear.These prolonged delays have turned mourning into a drawn-out agony, where grief is compounded by financial despair and cultural shame.

“My sister died prematurely, I don’t even want to remember that,” said Duke Masese. “Now the bills are on our side. We owe Sh105,000 to the hospital. We managed to raise part of it after borrowing from a friend, but now we’re struggling to repay the debts. We haven’t even buried her because we still owe the morgue where her body has been preserved.”

These families’ painful experiences underscore a deepening crisis in Kenya’s healthcare system, where the poor continue to suffer even after death.

Despite court rulings declaring the detention of bodies illegal, many hospitals persist in the practice, turning grief into a financial nightmare and trapping families in cycles of loss, debt, and despair.

Report by Rodgers Otiso, Marion Kithi, Jane Mugambi and Boniface Gikandi