Mbagathi mortuary staff in court over theft of bodies, fraud

Three employees from Mbagathi County Hospital have been charged after an investigation revealed a scam to release bodies for a bribe and falsify burial permits. February 14, 2025 [Nancy Gitonga, Standard]

A shocking case of corruption and deceit has emerged from Mbagathi County Hospital regarding the loss of bodies and a fraudulent scheme involving hospital staff has come to light. 

The details emerged when the head mortician at Mbagathi Level 5 Hospital, Jackline Njagi, along with morgue assistant Elizabeth Aoga and data clerk Jackline Akothe Owino, were charged before Milimani Senior Principal Magistrate Benmark Ekhubi.   

The three mortuary attendants were prosecuted after the DCI waded into the scandal at the county Government hospital facility.

The case, which began on December 6, 2024, started with a report from Mr. Bernard Malala, Officer-In-Charge of the Severity Unit at Mbagathi Hospital, about the disappearance of the body of James Mbugua.

 James’s body, which had been preserved in the hospital’s morgue, was reportedly missing, while a bill of Sh61,000 remained unpaid.

The hospital’s initial investigation, led by Mr. Malala, confirmed that the body and the unpaid bill were real concerns prompting the case to be escalated to the DCI-KNH for further probing.

According to details in court on Friday, investigators uncovered nothing short of a well-orchestrated scam within the hospital mortuary. 

The inquiry revealed that morgue attendants Aoga and Njagi had demanded a bribe of Sh30,000 from the grieving family of the deceased in exchange for waiving the outstanding bill and facilitating the release of James’s body.

The prosecution Sonia Njoki claims that the accused persons demand Sh30,000 from Ann Mbugua, a daughter of the deceased to waive the unpaid bill.

The scheme was further assisted by Jackline Awino, a staff member from the Health Records Department at Mbagathi Hospital, who helped issue a burial permit for the body under false pretenses.

However, the investigation took an even darker turn when another body, also labeled “James Mbugua” with the morgue tag number MFI 01047, was found.

According to the state, this discovery cast serious doubt on the identity of the body that had been released to Ann, raising the question of whether they had buried the wrong person.

The Prosecution reveals that the DCI-KNH’s probe confirmed that Aoga, Njagi, and Awino were at the heart of the illegal operation, which had allowed them to pocket money from a vulnerable family while falsifying hospital records to cover their tracks.

As a result, charges were pressed against the three hospital employees 

These include demanding money with menace, giving false information to a public servant, and conspiracy to commit a felony.

The three denied informing police Constable Joseph Ogalo that they had not released the body of James from Mbagathi Farewell Home.

Despite knowing the truth, they presented a different body in place of Mbugua’s, according to the charges filed by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

State Prosecutor Njoki told the magistrate that the three mortuary attendants gave the police officer the body of another person and presented to him information about another body, a fact they knew was false.

The three denied demanding from Ann Sh30,000 with intent to defraud her.

According to the charge sheet, the trio conspired on December 5, 2024, to extort money from Mbugua’s family in exchange for releasing the body, which had been preserved at the hospital's farewell home.

The charges allege that the three suspects demanded Sh30,000 from Mbugua's kin to facilitate the clearance of an outstanding hospital bill and facilitate the release of the body.

The three accused sought to be released on bail, with the state prosecutor not opposing their release prayed for lenient terms. Magistrate Ekhubi set the bond at Sh200,000, with an alternative cash bail of Sh100,000. 

The case will be mentioned on February 26, 2025, for further directions.