By Rodgers Wagura
Worth Noting:
- Although he had an NHIF card, the bill accumulated much with time. The community conducted two fund drive which only raised Kshs. 550,000. This money went directly to clearing the bill before he succumbed to injuries.
- The family, the local churches and the community have now reached a dead end with no funds at disposal and the body still accumulating debts of Kshs. 1,000 daily at the morgue.
A family in Gitiye village, Iria-ini ward, Mathira East, Nyeri County has been mourning for overΒ a month after a local private hospital declined to release the body for burial over KSh1 Million bill.
The family is now living in pain, trauma, sorrow, anguish and desperation after they failed to raise the amount needed in order to release the body ofΒ a 28-year-old David Kimondo who died at Mathari Mission Hospital on 15th March, 2023.
It all started on 27th December last year, when Kimondo, who is a boda boda operator, was involved in a road accident in the area. He was rushed to Karatina Sub County Hospital but later transferred to Mathari Hospital where he was admitted at ICU before being transferred to HDU where he passed on.
Although he had an NHIF card, the bill accumulated much with time. The community conducted two fund drive which only raised Kshs. 550,000. This money went directly to clearing the bill before he succumbed to injuries.
The family, the local churches and the community have now reached a dead end with no funds at disposal and the body still accumulating debts of Kshs. 1,000 daily at the morgue.
βKimondo was the bread winner here. He left behind three young children who are aged between 9 months and four years. We have reached the end of resources. Infact most of the times we sleep hungry crying. I wish to call upon the well βwishers and even our government to come to our aid,β Said the wailing widow Susan Wanjira.
Her mother Nancy Wacheke who could not hold back her tears said the family sold the only cow and leased out the farm in order to raise funds only for her son to die in hospital and leave a huge bill.
A local priest Rev. James Kanyua noted that the family members have been in and out of hospital since last year due to stress, depression and hypertension.
He urged the hospital to release the body on humanitarian ground before another family member dies of trauma related diseases.
The church also threatened to conduct a mock burial in order to try and forget the matter and also abandon the body in the morgue forever.
