Mombasa Law Court Thwafts Plot by 'Mpango wa Kando' to Burry Body of Woman without Family Consent

Mombasa Law Court has blocked a suspected 'Mpango wa Kando' from burying a woman whose body was released from Coast General Referral Hospital Mortuary and later transferred to Kilifi Mortuary without her family's Consent.

Justice Lucy Sindani also ordered the management of Kilifi County Referral Hospital Mortuary, where the late Saumu Luvuno Mrina's body was transferred, to detain the body, pending an inter-party hearing and determination of the Petition lodged on Thursday by the family, through Shaaban & Advocates law firm.

The family led by Michael Lewa and Nyevu Jeffer Charo had petitioned the Court to order the Morgue management to block plans by their daughter's Mpango wa Kando, from accessing the body, and later burying her without their consent.

The Court will give directions on 26th March, 2026 

The late Saumu died at Coast General Hospital on 7th March, 2026, after a long illness.

The Centre for Litigation Trust had threatened to sue Coast General Hospital for releasing the woman's body and allowing her to be transferred to Kilifi County Hospital Mortuary, without the family's consent.

Julius Ogogoh, the Centre's Executive Director, wants the family to be given free access to the body of the late Saumu and later be allowed to bury her.

The late's sisters, led by Mwanajuma Kombo, Mwaka Kombo and Khadija Kombo, had claimed their kin and the suspected boyfriend had not officially married, and therefore he has no right to detain and bury the body without their consent.

"We don't know Jeffer Charo, we just know he has been living with the deceased at her house at Kijiweni, Vikwatani area of Kisauni. What we need is to be given our elder sister's body to give her a decent send off. Huyu jamaa has no rights to burry Saumu since he was just a Mpango wa Kando. We don't recognise him" said Mwanajuma Kombo , the late Saumu's sister.

They accused the 'Mpango wa Kando' of allegedly colluding with Coast General Morgue officials to mysteriously  steal their sister's body from the Morgue and unlawfully transfer it to Kilifi.

The family claimed they found out that the missing body was unlawfully released and transferred to Kilifi after a two-day search. 

Earlier, they had even reported the missing body at Tononoka and Concordia Police stations in Kisauni after failing to trace the body at Coast General Hospital Morgue.

Centre for Litigation Trust boss further challenged the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) to thoroughly investigate the matter, arrest and ensure the culprits are charged and prosecuted accordingly, as per the law.