An islander has won a court battle in Kenya to repatriate her godmother’s body to Jersey, after her remains were held in a mortuary for more than a month after her death.
Carina Joan Reeves applied to the Malindi High Court seeking intervention over the body of Margaret Christine Bashforth, who died on 30 November 2025 at the Aga Khan Hospital in Malindi.
The 69-year-old British national, who was known as Maggie, lived in Kenya but did not have any immediate family in the country who could authorise the disposal of her remains.
As a result, Ms Bashforth’s body was left in a mortuary for weeks, with mounting fees.
But in directions issued on 22 January 2026, the Malindi High Court ordered the release and cremation of her body.
The court formally recognised Jersey resident Ms Reeves as the next of kin, with Dawn Marie Whetstone appointed as her authorised representative in Kenya to co-ordinate the cremation.
The ashes are to be kept at the deceased’s residence until permission is secured to repatriate them to Jersey.
In her supporting affidavit, Ms Reeves told the court that Ms Bashforth was her godmother and had played a significant maternal role in her life for many years.
She said “they maintained a close relationship even after the deceased relocated to Kenya, and that the deceased had repeatedly expressed her wishes not to be buried” as she preferred cremation.