Families seeking mortuary services in Bungoma County are set to get relief following the opening of a new mortuary facility designed to decongest the overstretched Bungoma County Referral Hospital mortuary.
The move comes days after the Senate Committee on Health raised concerns over congestion at the Bungoma County Referral Hospital mortuary. The committee through its chair, Uasin Gishu Senator Jackson Mandago, noted that the county morgue is holding about 50 bodies despite being designed for a maximum capacity of 20 bodies.
“This is totally unacceptable,” said Mandago. “A mortuary meant for 20 bodies is currently accommodating more than double its capacity. This raises questions on management, planning and the wellbeing of Bungoma residents,”
Speaking during the launch of the new Delights Funeral Home mortuary at Ndengelwa in Bungoma County, Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) Bishop George Mechumo, applauded the directors for picking to establish a new mortuary in Bungoma.
Further, Mechumo reported that in the beginning the mortuary project faced rejection from a section of the locals but after understanding the importance of the project they have accepted.
“We have all witnessed the construction of this project, in the beginning it faced rejection but now I can see everybody is happy to associate themselves with this project,” Bishop Mechumo stated.
He argues that such facilities help in boosting the economy and creating employment for the locals.
“Developed cities like Nairobi, Eldoret and Kisumu have grown because of such projects, therefore this will help Bungoma rise,” he affirmed.
Mary Harrison of Delights Funeral Home thanked Bungoma residents for their cooperation during the establishment of the facility, noting that the support from the local community and Delights directors made the project possible.
She added that the new mortuary will be a game changer in the region, easing pressure on existing facilities while offering dignified, reliable and affordable mortuary services to families.
She noted that delights means ‘Nuru’ meaning they bring home and light during difficult times.
“Our work is to bring hope during difficult moments when people lose their loved ones, and that is our work,” she stated, adding that the dead should be given a good send off.
She said that delights want to end narratives that mortuaries need to be bad.
Harrison Muchiri, a director at Delights Funeral Home, said the facility’s core guiding theme is “dignity with distinction,” emphasizing that beyond body preservation, the mortuary is designed to offer comfort, solace and emotional support to grieving families during the send-off of their loved ones.
He noted that the facility will uphold high professional standards to ensure every family is treated with respect and care.
Muchiri noted that the new facility capacity is 50 bodies.
By Tony Wafula
