A tense standoff unfolded on Monday morning, February 23, 2026, at the Embu Level Five Hospital mortuary after a grieving family arrived to collect the body of their child, only to be told it could not be traced.
Burial Plans Disrupted
Relatives and friends of one-year-old Lee Delyn Mukundi, who died a week earlier, had gathered to pick up the remains ahead of a planned burial in Kigumo Village, Runyenjes Constituency. Their plans were thrown into disarray when mortuary attendants failed to produce the body.
The situation quickly escalated as mourners demanded answers, with some threatening to stage demonstrations in Embu Town if the body was not released.
Wrong Body Released
It later emerged that the child’s body had been mistakenly released to another family and already buried at a homestead in Kiamuringa, Mbeere South.
Speaking to journalists, the child’s father, Kevin Mukundi, expressed shock after realizing the body presented to them was not his son’s.
“When we inspected the body, we immediately knew it was not ours. It was the body of a six-year-old boy, yet our son was only one year old. The body could not even fit into the small coffin we had prepared,” he said.
County Response
The mourners briefly sought intervention at Embu Police Station, but were referred back to the hospital, further heightening tensions.
Later, Embu County Chief Officer for Health Patrick Mukavi visited the mortuary and confirmed a mix-up had occurred. He said legal procedures had been initiated to allow for the exhumation of the wrongly buried body to facilitate identification and correction of the error.
Mukavi assured the family that the county health department would cater for burial expenses, acknowledging the preparations already made before the discovery of the mistake.
Awaiting Closure
The family left the facility visibly distraught, awaiting action by the county government to resolve the matter and bring closure to the ordeal.
Conclusion
The incident highlights the need for stricter mortuary management protocols to prevent such devastating errors. For the grieving family, the mix-up has compounded their pain, underscoring the importance of accountability and sensitivity in handling bereavement cases.
