Kampala Mortuary Handles Hundreds of Unclaimed Bodies in 2025

The Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) Mortuary witnessed a disturbing trend in 2025, receiving hundreds of unclaimed bodies, according to the Directorate of Police Health Services’ annual report.

Out of 723 unknown bodies admitted to the mortuary over the year, only 214 were claimed by relatives. The remaining 509 were eventually buried at Bukasa Public Cemetery, which is managed by KCCA.

The report highlights that post-mortem examinations, which are primarily conducted to provide forensic evidence for criminal investigations and court proceedings, also serve important public health functions. These include disease surveillance, mortality analysis, and medical research. In total, the Kampala Metropolitan Police Surgeons conducted 4,632 post-mortems at the KCCA Mortuary in 2025, making it the largest forensic pathology service centre in the country.

Police Surgeons also carried out 10 exhumations during the same period to support ongoing legal investigations. Forensic procedures included DNA sampling, toxicology, ballistics testing, fingerprinting, and 3D photography of each body, whether known or unknown, ensuring that each case contributes critical evidence for investigations.

The high number of unclaimed bodies underscores broader societal challenges, including a lack of next-of-kin identification, poverty, and social neglect, experts say. It also places a heavy responsibility on the mortuary and KCCA to ensure the dignified handling and burial of these individuals.

The report also notes that police surgeons from other regions conducted 1,228 postmortem examinations, along with seven exhumations, to assist investigations across the country. This year’s data reflects not only the scale of forensic work handled by Kampala mortuary but also the pressing need for awareness and systems to manage unclaimed bodies, both for legal purposes and public health considerations.