Kenyan authorities have in recent times been complaining of too many dead Ugandans’ bodies being transported across the international border for preservation and keeping in Kenyan facilities.
The disclosure of Kenya’s displeasure was made this week by Bukwo Resident District Administrator Samuel Mpimbaza Hashaka this week in a brief to district leaders and health officials. Hashaka said he has been receiving complaints from officials across the border where Ugandans in the border district have made it a habit to take bodies when relatives die as they raise funds to prepare for burial.
Thee RDC explained that this is because there are no mortuary facilities even at the district hospital and in these times of economic hardship, people need time to mobilise relatives in different parts to arrange the funeral. He noted with consternation that the government provided 300 million shillings to Bukwo hospital some time back for construction of a mortuary which has never been completed by the contractor.
The situation is so bad that patients and care givers have to share the ward with untreated dead bodies at the district hospital until relatives collect them. This explains why people take their dead across the international border to KItale, 60 kilometres away for preservation and keeping until the families are ready to bury. For now, the Kenyans are being lenient to accept untreated dead Ugandan bodies into their country, posing health risk to Kenyan citizens along the way.
