A family in Limuru was left in deep shock and disbelief after their 24-year-old son, who had been pronounced dead, woke up inside the Naivasha District Hospital mortuary.
Paul Mutora, a father of one, had swallowed insecticide following an argument with his father over a damaged donkey cart. Relatives rushed him to the hospital, located about 90 kilometres north-west of Nairobi, in critical condition.
Doctors administered anti-poison medication, but his condition appeared to worsen. Around 11 pm, medical staff declared Mutora dead and transferred his body to the cold room.
The following afternoon, mortuary attendants heard strange noises from inside one of the chambers. Upon checking, they found Mutora breathing and crying out for help, sending terrified workers fleeing.
Hospital superintendent Dr Joseph Mburu explained that the anti-poison drugs had drastically slowed his heart rate, mimicking death. “This might have confused medical personnel, but the victim was saved before he could be embalmed,” he said.
Relieved and remorseful, Mutora apologised to his father from his hospital bed, promising to return home to care for his young family.