A stand-off ensued between Nairobi City Mortuary staff and police officers on Thursday after the workers blocked the law enforcement officers from transporting any more bodies to the facility.
At the heart of the standoff was the fact that the county workers were turning away bodies, acting on orders from the Nairobi County Government based on the fact that the facility is full.
The police who were delivering unidentified bodies to the mortuary protested being turned away, insisting that this would prevent them from doing their job.
What followed was a confrontation between the two parties but the mortuary workers held their ground. Officers while going about their daily duties transport bodies collected from crime scenes and accidents to the morgue.
New cooling units and cold room doors at City Mortuary, Nairobi, on April 5, 2023.
Johnson Sakaja
For the better part of Thursday, police officers were stranded, which forced them to keep the bodies in their vehicles.
“This is the fourth time we are here. We can drive around the city with dead bodies in the vehicle because you have refused to take them”, a frustrated police officer complained outside the mortuary’s gate.
“So where do we take the bodies”, the officer continued.
According to the mortuary staffers, City Hall has issued firm directives ordering them not to receive any unidentified bodies from the police.
“We have been directed not to allow any bodies from the police in the facility. If you have any issue, take it up with the county authority”, a senior staffer told the press.
After a long 9-hour drive around the city with dead bodies, senior police officers intervened and reached out to City Hall leaders who allowed the officers to register the dead bodies.
City Hall is currently grappling with how to approach the situation with the Nairobi Mortuary full to the brim. The morgue is currently housing 607 bodies way beyond its capacity of 184 bodies.
Meanwhile, mortuary staffers have expressed fears of being sacked if they fail to heed the City Hall directives.
“I was asked to write a statement as to why I allowed 2 bodies to be registered in the morgue yesterday,” a staffer revealed to journalists on Thursday.
Police have now called on the City leadership to inform them formally of its stand with regard to receiving bodies.
Nairobi City mortuary
File
