KAMPALA, Uganda — A bizarre mix-up over a body at a hospital in northern Uganda has left a family relieved and authorities bewildered.
Harriet Apolot, 24, a barmaid from Kumi District, was presumed dead after her family identified a body at Gulu Regional Referral Hospital mortuary. However, in a shocking turn of events, Apolot was found alive and dancing at a nightclub in Kampala City.
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“We were preparing for her burial when we received a call that she was alive,” said Francis Ariko, Apolot’s uncle and a Uganda People’s Defence Forces officer.
Apolot’s family had been searching for her after she went missing for several days. When a photo of a dead body resembling Apolot circulated on social media, her family rushed to the hospital to identify the body.
“We confirmed that the body was not ours after we found Harriet alive,” Ariko said.
The hospital authorities said this is the third time in four years that bodies have been returned to the morgue after a mix-up in identification.
The body, which was returned to the hospital, remains unclaimed. Authorities plan to bury it at a public cemetery in Gulu City.
The incident highlights the issue of unclaimed bodies in Uganda. In 2017, 500 bodies were not claimed by relatives or friends in Kampala Metropolitan area, forcing authorities to bury them in a cemetery.
The police are investigating the death of the unidentified woman, whose body was discovered dumped in a stream in Omoro District.
