Muranga family who lost kin to COVID-19 stranded after health officials failed to show up at burial

Muranga family who lost kin to COVID-19 stranded after health officials failed to show up at burial

A family in Murang’a spent the better part of Friday waiting for Ministry of Health officials to conduct burial rites for their kin who succumbed to the new coronavirus.

The decedent’s family arrived for the burial in Iyego, Kangema at around 4pm on Friday but were shocked to find there were no officials from the Ministry of Health.

The family, according to reports, were told they would find officials at home after picking the decedent’s body from the mortuary.

“We were told public health officials would be present at the burial, but we found no one by the time we go to the venue,” a family member told Inooro TV.

The decedent, Citizen Digital understands, had been admitted to the Thika 5 Hospital with chest complications. He succumbed the following day.

It was after the autopsy that medics discovered that the decedent had contracted the new coronavirus.

On Friday, family members who went to pick the body from the mortuary were escorted to the Thika barrier by police officers and allowed to proceed to Kangema for the burial.

“A police landcruiser escorted us to the barrier, and we were allowed to pass, on getting to Murang’a however, we found that there was no one to assist us bury our brother,” a brother of the deceased told Inooro TV.

After waiting for hours to no avail,  agitated family members at around 7pm on Friday took the body of the deceased to a police station in Kangema.

It was there that Murang’a Heath CEC Joseph Mbai dispatched officials to conduct the last rites.

The deceased was finally interred at around 11pm on Friday night.

Tags:

coronavirus

Want to send us a story? Submit on Wananchi Reporting on the Citizen Digital App or Send an email to wananchi@royalmedia.co.ke or Send an SMS to 25170 or WhatsApp on 0743570000

Leave a Comment

Comments

No comments yet.

latest stories