Family blocks Vihiga-Kisumu road with remains of dead kin

Relatives of a patient who died at the Vihiga county Referral Hospital on Tuesday barricaded the Vihiga-Kisumu highway with the body of their deceased kin.

They were reportedly turned away by mortuary attendants who refused to preserve the remains because they were on Madaraka Day holiday.

The agitated relatives then left with the body and placed it by the roadside as they sought alternatives.

When none were forthcoming, they used the hospital stretcher and moved the body to the busy Kisumu-Vihiga highway, blocking it and causing a huge traffic swell.

The bizarre incident drew a large crowd, with police officers alerted to the situation resorting to dispersing the crowd with teargas.

“This is my mother who is lying here, we brought her to the hospital yesterday, and she passed on, but they have refused to talk to us and are closing the gate when they see us,” one of the relatives said.

According to a hospital source who spoke to Citizen Digital, the drama was orchestrated by a standoff between hospital administration and staff.

The hospital retreated to a closed-door meeting on Wednesday, ostensibly to seek a resolution.

The facility had not issued a statement as at the time of this publication.