A family in Mombasa on Monday exhumed the body of their son who was hurriedly buried in April to be accorded a proper burial in Lugari, Kakamega county.
The 27-year-old man only identified as Clinton was hurriedly buried in strict adherence with Covid-19 protocols. The family said the treatment was unfair because testing later showed the man did not succumb to the disease as was initially claimed.
His mother Edith Vinjira yesterday accused doctors of wrongfully labelling her son a Covid-19 victim. The body was exhumed on Monday at the Mbaraki Cemetery for a proper burial in Lugari on Tuesday.
“My son died on April 4 and was buried on April 12 because he was suspected to be having Covid-19. He had a cough and collapsed in the house before we rushed him to hospital,” Vinjira said.
Clinton was rushed to Pandya Hospital before being referred to the Coast General Hospital where he was observed by three doctors. He showed some improvement before dying a few days later.
“The specimen was taken to Kemri in Nairobi for Covid-19 testing and so we had to wait for the results for four days but that short period was torturers. When the result came, it was negative."
Vijira said that her elder son reported the doctors for mishandling his brother and suspecting him to be having Covid-19. The report was made to the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Board.
Vinjira claimed her son was tortured by being asked questions and forced to accept that he had travelled and was therefore at risk of contracting the virus.
"My son told the doctor that the only place he had been to was a supermarket but the doctor could not listen to him,” she said.
She said only family members were involved in the exhumation which was done following a court order. Preparations for decent burial in Lugari were underway.
“It has been a long journey since we buried Clinton. We have followed all the laws in the whole process. We are not going to do any rituals, we will bury him at his ancestral home on Tuesday,” Vijira said.
Clinton was a master's student pursuing business administration on Kenyatta University's Mombasa campus.
