Shock, panic and disbelief gripped Naivasha District Hospital after a 24-year-old man who had reportedly been declared dead stunned mortuary attendants by waking up nearly 20 hours after his family had been informed of his death.
What began as a heartbreaking loss quickly turned into a bizarre medical drama when the young man suddenly stirred inside the hospital mortuary, realised he was surrounded by bodies and reportedly called out, asking to be released.
The unexpected movement sent mortuary attendants into a frenzy. Instead of waiting to establish what was happening, the startled workers reportedly fled in different directions, leaving the man to emerge from his deathly slumber.
The incident left the hospital and the wider Naivasha community in disbelief, with news of the apparent resurrection spreading rapidly across the lakeside town.
According to his father, Karanja, the young man’s condition had deteriorated on Wednesday evening. At around 11pm, the family was informed that he had died.
Believing they had lost their loved one, relatives began breaking the devastating news to friends and family members as preparations for his final send-off got underway.
His body was reportedly taken to the hospital mortuary, placed on a cold slab and tagged for identification.
The following morning, Karanja and other relatives travelled to the mortuary to view the body. After confirming what they believed was the body of their son, they returned home to begin making funeral arrangements.
But hours later, the family received a stunning phone call.
They were reportedly informed that the young man was alive.
The news left them struggling to comprehend what they had just heard.
“We have indeed confirmed he is alive and has been moved to the ward,” the father reportedly said, expressing his shock at the extraordinary turn of events.
The young man, identified as Mutora, was reportedly confused and groggy when he regained consciousness. In an emotional moment, he asked his father for forgiveness, saying the experience had taught him a painful lesson.
He reportedly told his father that he was sorry and was now preparing to return to his family to take care of his wife and child.
The bizarre incident attracted scores of curious residents, with word spreading through Naivasha that a man declared dead had seemingly returned to life. Curious members of the public reportedly gathered hoping to catch a glimpse of the young man whose story had become the talk of the town.
While the incident appeared extraordinary, it was not the first reported case in Kenya involving a person believed to be dead suddenly showing signs of life.
In 2012, a similar tragedy was reported in Nairobi when mourners allegedly attacked and killed a man after mistaking him for a ghost.
The man, reportedly a former university student, allegedly regained consciousness while mourners were preparing to transport his coffin upcountry for burial. He reportedly pushed open the coffin cover, sat up and began loosening his tie.
Instead of recognising that the man was alive, the frightened mourners reportedly believed they were witnessing something supernatural. They allegedly attacked him with stones, killing him.
The two incidents offer a chilling reminder of how frightening and confusing apparent deaths can become when there is uncertainty about whether someone has truly died.
In Mutora’s case, however, what began as preparations for a funeral ended with an astonishing twist—a family reunited with a son they had already mourned, while an entire town was left asking how someone believed to be dead could wake up inside a mortuary.
