Unveil Rented Bodies: Mortuary Attendants Speak to IG Koome
Funeral directors from various parts of the nation are currently seeking clarification from the Police Inspector General, Mr. Japheth Koome. This comes after his allegations that Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition was enlisting the assistance of certain morgues to provide bodies, aiming to demonstrate the level of police brutality amid protests against the government.
Mr. Koome stated that a group of elderly individuals worked together with mortuary staff to conceal bodies before involving the media. They intended to portray an exaggerated depiction of police employing excessive force during the protests.
Mr. Koome’s remarks at the National Police College Kiganjo in Nyeri are still drawing negative feedback from different parties, who claim that he lacks sensitivity towards the families who suffered losses during the protests.
A particular category includes the undertakers who were depicted as collaborators in the supposed wrongdoing.
However, the Morticians and Allied Professionals Association of Kenya (MAPAKe) has shown dissatisfaction with Mr. Koome’s remarks. They are urging him to provide proof to support his assertions.
As per Mr. Felix Odhiambo, the mortuary association’s secretary, ethical guidelines for mortuary technicians primarily include upholding respect and confidentiality for the deceased. Additionally, they emphasize showing consideration for the grieving process, emotions, and the mourning rights of the bereaved to ensure they can remember their loved ones in a tranquil manner.
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“Mortuary Technicians are no longer rogue, careless, dirty, drunk, and reckless uneducated individuals, they operate within and observe the laws of Kenya in all our practice. The office of the Inspector General is such a respected office to even attempt to lower it to such unimaginable actions,” said Mr Odhiambo.
Mr. Odhiambo criticized Mr. Koome’s remark, asserting that no Mortuary Technician in Kenya would even consider committing such a crime.
“We demand that the Inspector General of Police furnish both Kenya Health Professions Oversight Authority and Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentist Board and the mortuary facilities, the particulars of those implicated for investigation and if found culpable, necessary disciplinary actions taken against them,” said Mr Odhiambo.
As expressed in his statement, Mr. Elkana Mwinani, the Chairman of the morticians’ association, emphasized their close collaboration with the police in their daily activities. He called upon the Inspector General (IG) to retract his comments about the facilities and the attendants of the morgue, as articulated in his original statement.
“Mortuary practitioners serve all Kenyans without caring about their tribe, race, class, political alignment, or religion. It is therefore very unfair for the IG to try and tag our profession along or into matters we are less concerned with,” said Mr Mwinani.
Kisumu Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o also expressed the same feelings, being taken aback by what he described as thoughtless and inconsiderate remarks made by Mr. Koome.
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“We join the rest of Kenyans and our leader Raila Odinga in condemning Mr Koome who instead of apologising to the nation over the disappointing unprofessionalism in the police service, is dancing on the graves of the victims killed by his officers during demonstrations against the high cost of living,” said Prof Nyong’o.
He mentioned that there is documented evidence indicating that Kisumu County suffered the most from instances of Police aggression. He urged the Inspector General to cease making disrespectful remarks about the families of individuals who were either killed or injured during the protests.
“The Inspector General of Police must stop politicizing grave security issues like the murder of innocent people, which borders on genocide and ethnic cleansing,” said the Governor.
He highlighted that two reputable independent organizations – The Law Society of Kenya and Amnesty International – carried out an investigation and verified that the police were responsible for the deaths of 24 individuals in the midst of the protests against the government in the counties of Kisumu and Kisii. Among these fatalities, 16 took place specifically in Kisumu.
In his declaration, Mr. Nyong’o mentioned that numerous individuals who were not guilty were forcefully taken from their residences and brutally murdered. In Kisumu County itself, 107 individuals who were attacked by police officers received medical care at various hospitals within the county. A significant portion of them is presently hospitalized due to gunshot injuries.
He extended an invitation to Mr. Koome to personally visit the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital and Mortuary. This would allow Mr. Koome to witness the situation firsthand and verify whether the bodies in question are indeed acquired through renting.
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“One of these patients is a schoolchild shot nine times by Koome’s boys. We invite Koome to visit the JOOTRH and study the post-mortem reports of those killed during the demonstrations. They had either bullet holes or blunt object (Rungu) trauma,” said the Kisumu County boss.
The governor requested that the Inspector General of police apologize and completely withdraw his insensitive and brutal statement.
Unveil Rented Bodies: Mortuary Attendants Speak to IG Koome
