Police authorities in the Kiira region are seeking the relatives of six deceased individuals, whose identities and origins remain unknown. These individuals, whose cases were reported at Jinja CPS between late October and November 10th, 2023, are currently lying at the Jinja Regional Referral Hospital mortuary, awaiting postmortem examinations.
Among the deceased, four fell victim to mob justice, while the other two were recovered from areas around Lake Victoria and River Nile in Jinja city after drowning incidents. James Mubi, the Kiira Regional police spokesperson, expressed concerns over the delay in identifying the deceased, saying it is hindering the progress of their investigations.
Due to the unknown identities, arrangements have been made with pathologists at the Jinja Regional Referral Hospital Mortuary to conduct postmortem examinations. He explains that the results will be available for presentation to any relatives who come forward. Jinja city authorities have agreed to allocate temporary burial space for the deceased individuals.
Mubi said they will take photographs of the deceased before burial with individual identification tags to facilitate future identifications or exhumations. He urged individuals with missing relatives to contact the Kiira region’s Homicide department for assistance in identifying the deceased.
In a related development, an attendant at the mortuary, speaking anonymously due to restrictions, highlighted the challenge posed by unclaimed bodies. “Festive seasons are always hectic for us, with dozens succumbing to accident-related incidents and other illnesses, therefore, we always need space to accommodate the surplus number of bodies retrieved from wards and roads alike,” he said.
He noted that only two freezers are operational, accommodating up to four bodies at a time. He explained the remaining bodies are stored on concrete bars or the floor due to limited storage capacity.
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