Embu Family Seeks Help as Hospital Detains Body Over Unpaid Bill

EMBU — A family in Gicegeri Village, Embu, is facing a distressing situation as the body of their loved one remains detained at the Kenyatta University Hospital mortuary due to an outstanding medical bill of Sh335,000. Forty-nine-year-old Cecilia Marigu, who succumbed to cancer on February 3, had accumulated a total hospital bill of Sh635,000 during her month-long treatment at Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital (KUTRRH).

According to Kenya News Agency, Marigu’s health battle began in 2022 with a swollen leg, leading to numerous hospital visits in Embu before her cancer diagnosis and subsequent referral to KUTRRH. Despite their efforts to raise funds, including hosting several fundraisers, the family managed to gather only Sh300,000, leaving a substantial balance unpaid. The hospital charges a daily fee of Sh1,000 for the maintenance of the body in the morgue, further exacerbating the financial strain on the family.

Agatha Murangi, the 84-year-old mother of the deceased, expressed her family’s desperation for assistance to settle the outstanding bill and proceed with her daughter’s burial. Felista Muthoni, Marigu’s sister, detailed the sacrifices made to support Marigu’s treatment, including selling her land and business. Now responsible for her elderly mother and Marigu’s two children, Muthoni highlighted the family’s dire financial situation and the emotional toll of the delayed burial.

The family’s plea extends to well-wishers and the community for support in their time of need, as traditional mourning and burial rites remain on hold, leaving them in a state of prolonged grief and uncertainty.