A family from Mumbi village in Githurai 45 is considering abandoning the body of their loved one at Kenyatta University Hospital Funeral Home, after failing to raise a Ksh 7.9 million hospital bill.
Ann Waithira Njogu, 47, was admitted to the facility in December 2022, and was under Intensive Care Unit until July 8, 2023 when she had her last breath, leaving behind four children.
The deceased was diagnosed with a rare disease, Flaccid Tetraplegia, which attacks the nerves and may cause paralysis.
Anthony Mburu, who is the husband of the deceased, says the family is giving up since their efforts to raise the money have not been successful and their hopes to bury his wife are in the hands of well-wishers.
The family says that they have been conducting harambees almost every month but they collect very little compared to what the hospital is demanding. The hospital wants the family to pay at least 75 per cent of the bill to release the body.
“For sure we cannot raise that amount of money, it is too much for myself and my family. NHIF settled around 720,000 and now the balance is ksh 7.9 million,” Mburu told Citizen Digital.
According to Ann Waithira, a cousin to the deceased, Kenyans are finding it difficult to make contributions towards the fund raisers following economic hardships.
“Every day people come here to mourn with us, to comfort us but there’s no money. We are appealing to the well wishers to help us bury my cousin. The government can also intervene and waive the Bill for us because it is clear we cannot pay that much,” she said.
In an earlier interview, the chair of the KU Hospital board Prof Olive Mugenda admitted that a number of patients are unable to clear hospital bills but the facility goes ahead to waive huge amounts of bills to release patients and bodies of poor families.
She however urged Kenyans to register with the National Hospital Insurance Fund.
