Gerald Gundu, a mortuary attendant at Kabale Regional Referral Hospital is in detention for allegedly demanding a bribe of Shillings 300,000 to release a corpse.
It all started after the body of Surura Turyakira, 27, a resident of Kinungusi village in Upper Bugongi ward in Nothern division in Kabale municipality was found floating in a stream in the area around 09:00 am Wednesday.
The body had multiple wounds on the head. It was taken to Kabale regional referral hospital mortuary for postmortem as part of the investigations. On Wednesday evening, Turyakira’s relatives led by Laurence Byamukama, the Kinyungusi Village Health Team member went to the hospital mortuary to pick up the body for burial.
However, the relatives were shocked when Gundu demanded Shillings 300,000 to release the body from the mortuary. Byamukama says that they tried to negotiate with Gundu to accept Shillings 150,000 to release the body in vain.
According to Byamukama, they decided to contact the Health Ministry Spokesperson, Emmanuel Ainebyona, Kabale District Health Educator, Alfred Besigensi, and Kabale Resident district commissioner, Godfrey Nyakahuma for help. He wondered why they had to pay money to receive the deceased’s body from the mortuary belonging to a government health facility.
Godfrey Nyakahuma, the Kabale Resident District Commissioner, says that after receiving the complaint, he immediately intervened with the help of security operatives and arrested Gundu. He says that such acts make people develop a negative attitude about such a big government health facility.
Elly Maate, the Kigezi region police spokesperson, says that Gundu is being held at Kabale Central Police Station as investigations into the matter continue.
During a Baraza organized by Statehouse health monitoring that was held at Kabale Municipality Mayors gardens in July this year, the mortuary hospital in charge, Phionah Natukunda, said that the attendants charge Shillings 200,000 per night for bodies brought to the hospital mortuary for postmortem or preservation.
She explained that it is from this money that the mortuary attendants get their pay.
This was after Gerevazio Owomugisha, a resident of Nyangande village in Mwanjari ward, southern division of Kabale municipality revealed how she was charged Shillings 900,00 for the body of his elder brother on November 2, 2021, at the facility.
–URN
