A family in Mautuma Ward, Lugari Constituency, has been forced to surrender the title deed to their family land to secure the release of the body of their 17-year-old son, who has been held at a mortuary for more than a month over a hospital bill exceeding KSh700,000.
Eugene Olutira, a student at Mautuma Boys Senior School, died early in July at Rapha Hospital, a private facility in Eldoret, where he had been transferred after his condition deteriorated.
Eugene, who hailed from Jerusalem Village in Mbagara Sub-Location, is said to have developed a sudden and severe headache before being diagnosed with malaria-related complications. He spent several days receiving treatment as his condition continued to worsen.
His family, however, blames Kakamega Referral Hospital for allegedly failing to respond adequately to his medical emergency. They claim the hospital also charged them KSh24,000 for an ambulance that they say delayed transferring Eugene to the private facility.
Following his death, the family was unable to settle the accumulated hospital bill, resulting in his body being held at the mortuary.
According to Eugene’s maternal aunt, the family has now resorted to surrendering the title deed for their piece of land as security to facilitate the release of the body.
The decision came after a third fundraising drive, held on Monday, failed to raise the amount the family needed. The three harambees collectively raised only about KSh114,000, leaving the family facing a deficit of more than KSh580,000.
The family says it has exhausted its financial resources in efforts to secure the release of Eugene’s body and give him a dignified burial. His father, George Wekesa, told WKT that appeals for assistance to local leaders did not yield the support the family had hoped for.
The family was left with little choice but to use their land title as security after exhausting other avenues of raising the money.
The body was collected from Rescourse Hospital mortuary on Tuesday, August 11, after the family secured its release.
Eugene is expected to be laid to rest on Wednesday, August 12.
