The Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC) has issued a warning to health facilities against detaining dead bodies over unpaid bills, declaring such acts a criminal offense and a violation of the Constitution. This follows a recent High Court ruling that deemed the practice unlawful and a breach of human dignity.

• KMPDC urged hospitals, mortuaries, and funeral homes to instead propose payment plans or alternative arrangements with families for outstanding bills.
• The advisory cites Section 137 of the Penal Code, which makes hindering the burial of a deceased person without lawful authority a criminal offense.
• The notice follows a High Court ruling by Justice Nixon Sifuna a month prior, which declared body detention unlawful, citing a case where a Nairobi hospital detained a body over a Ksh3.3 million bill.