Relief for the family after the body of your son detained in the hospital following KSh 3.7m was released

• The family of the late Joel has finally received his body for burial after two months due to hospital bills that had reached KSh 3.7 million
• Lawyer Jonathan Metet took the matter to the Kenyan Ombudsman to intervene after the family of the young man with disabilities sought him for help
• The family expressed gratitude for the support they received and asked for discussions about hospital bills and dignity in death as they prepared to bury the young man.

Nairobi, Kenya: The family of a young man identified as Joel has found relief as they can now give him a dignified burial after his body was finally handed over to them two months after his death.

Speaking to TUKO.co.ke in an interview, disability lawyer Jonathan Metet said the issue was brought to him by the boy’s family after they failed to get help through other means they had tried.

In January 2025, one family in Embakasi East mourned the loss of their beloved son, Joel, who was born with Spina Bifida and was later diagnosed with hip cancer.

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Joel was taken to the hospital on December 12, 2024 complaining of severe pain in his leg.

“Doctors tried to save the leg, but the broken bone was not healing, and the wound got worse to the point of amputating the leg,” said disability lawyer Jonathan Metet.

Sadly, the young man died on December 31 while undergoing treatment for hip cancer. Before the family had time to come to terms with the news, they were presented with a hospital bill of KSh 4.7 million.

Out of that amount of KSh 4.7 million, SHA paid KSh 700,000, and the family paid KSh 189,000, leaving a debt of KSh 3.7 million, which continued to increase due to the costs of storing the body in the morgue. At that time, the family asked Kenyans to help them raise the amount.

The body was kept in the hospital because of the debt of KSh 3.7 million for the medical bill.

“The family asked me for help, and I referred the matter to the Kenyan Ombudsman. When sending a letter of inquiry to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the hospital, the Ombudsman quoted the relevant articles of the Kenyan Constitution and examples of court decisions regarding the respect and rights of the family,” said Metet.

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“The hospital has released the body of the late Joel, a disabled person from Embakasi, after a long struggle and the intervention of the **Commission on Administrative Justice (Ombudsman Kenya),” he added.

What did Joel’s family say?

Joel’s family comes from a typical low-income background, and the long-term confinement caused great grief, compounded by the challenges of caring for someone with a disability.

“We greatly appreciate the intervention of the Kenyan Ombudsman, and we hope that this issue will stimulate wider discussions on hospital bills, dignity in death, and the protection of vulnerable families, including people with disabilities,” they said.

“Yes, the journey has been long. We are grateful to Ombudsman Kenya, a government body that works effectively,” they added.

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Source: TUKO.co.ke