A group of rowdy boda boda riders stormed Iten county referral hospital in Elgeyo Marakwet County while hooting and shouting demanding to be given the body of their colleague who died four months ago so that they can go and bury him.
Business came to a standstill at the morgue as the riders tried to force their way to collect the body of their colleague Mark Ekai, forcing the attendant to hastily close the door.
The more than 20 boda boda riders traded bitters words with the mortuary attendant after he denied them the right to collect the body for burial in Kiplombe cemetery in Uasin Gishu County.
The body of the deceased who hails from Lokichogio area in Turkana County has been lying at the morgue since February this year after efforts by his colleagues and friends to trace his family members failed.
“I will not hand over the deceased body to you unless you seek written permission from the police,” vowed the mortuary attendant who declined to be named.
The attendant stood his ground saying that he will not hand over the body to strangers vowing that he will only allow close family members access to the mortuary to pick their kin should they avail themselves at the facility.
According to one of his colleagues, Eric Kipyegon, the deceased has been in the boda boda business in Iten town for the last five years and that he has never revealed to them about his family members.
After failing in their mission to collect the body, the riders marched to the police station while carrying an empty coffin on one of the motor cycles and demanded to have an audience with the officer in charge.
An officer who received them said there was no way they would be allowed to collect their deceased colleague’s body for burial in a public cemetery without his family member’s consent.
He cautioned the riders against creating disturbance by hooting and shouting while carrying the casket on the motorcycle as their action will attract legal action.
“There is a procedure on how to dispose of unclaimed bodies in the mortuaries which all persons should adhere to so as to avoid legal issues after the burial rites. So your request to be given the green light to bury the deceased will not be granted unless you are related to him,” said the officer before ordering them to leave the station.
The riders left the station in anger and headed back to the mortuary where they dumped the coffin in the entrance to the consternation of hospital workers and onlookers.