Drama as man wakes up in mortuary days after being declared dead

A critically ill Kenyan man, who collapsed in his house and was rushed to hospital, shocked morgue attendants after he regained consciousness as they prepared to embalm him.

Peter Kigen, 32, was presumed dead on Tuesday by staff at Kapkatet hospital, in Kericho county, and transferred to the morgue, according to local media.

A morgue attendant is said to have realised the man was still alive when he touched his body and felt he was still breathing.

The attendants alerted the medical staff who swung into action and took the patient to the casualty section where they resuscitated him.

The hospital medical superintendent Gilbert Cheruiyot revealed on Wednesday that after three hours the man identified as Kiplangat Kigen, age 32, regained consciousness.

Cheruiyot said he was then taken to the general ward where he is recovering and is in stable condition.

He said investigations were ongoing to establish why the patient was taken to the mortuary when he was still alive.

“We want to know what really happened to the extent of declaring somebody dead yet he is still alive. So for now we are investigating this matter and we will issue a comprehensive statement over it,” Cheruiyot added.