Philip Ndegwa /FAMILY“It is money I have never seen in my whole life,” Rebecca Mutheu says, referring to the nearly Sh400,000 hospital and mortuary bill the family must clear to bury her younger brother.
It has been almost a month and a half of waiting to have the body and accord it the desired send-off.
"We have accepted that he is dead but when will we get over this pain? It is a daily grief. I can barely eat," she lamented.
Before the phone call that changed everything in late August, Philip Ndegwa had left their two-room house in Dandora Phase Two for his usual day at work.
The 19-year-old, a Form Two dropout, earned a living scavenging for recyclables at the Dandora dumpsite to support himself and help his sister.
That evening, Mutheu received a sudden call asking her to rush to Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital.
“I received a call to rush to Mama Lucy because there was an emergency involving Philip. When I got there, I found him being attended to and soon after, he was moved to the ICU. Later, he was referred to KU hospital for surgery on the head,” she told the Star by phone on Monday.
Ndegwa’s condition deteriorated despite treatment and he died on August 29. His body has remained at the Kenyatta University Funeral Home as the family struggles to raise the required amount to settle the bills.
“Philip was the youngest in our family. He fell ill and before we could understand what was happening, he was gone. Everything happened so fast, we are still in shock,” Mutheu said.
The family says they were not fully briefed on the circumstances that led to Ndegwa’s injuries.
“We were not told what exactly was being treated or how Philip got to that state. We suspect he might have been involved in a fight at the dumpsite that caused the head injury, but we have no confirmation,” she said.
Mutheu said they had planned to bury Ndegwa soon after his death but were unable to raise the fees.
The mortuary bill at the funeral home has already reached Sh40,000 and continues to grow daily, while the rest—over Sh350,000—was accrued during treatment at Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital.
“We have appealed to the area MP through the CDF office and reached out to political leaders, but we have not received any assistance,” she said.
Mutheu added that their mother’s health has worsened and that the financial burden has left the family overwhelmed.
“We are a poor family. My mother is sickly and the news of losing her last born has worsened her condition. I am the only light to my family but I am overwhelmed. I am appealing for any help that well-wishers may give to enable us to accord our last born a dignified send-off,” she said.
Neighbours described Ndegwa as quiet and hardworking, saying despite dropping out of school, he continued to work at the dumpsite to support himself.
A family friend, James Mwangi, said the community has helped, but cannot meet the total amount needed.
“We have stood with the family and contributed what we could, but the amount is too high for us as neighbours to manage,” Mwangi said.
Mutheu said the delay in burying her brother has prolonged their grief.
“Every day that passes feels like the wound is being reopened. We just want to give him a decent send-off,” she said.
The family is appealing to leaders, charitable organisations and Kenyans of goodwill to help settle the bills so they can finally lay Ndegwa to rest. Mutheu’s contact is 0797340478.
