Nowhere to let corona victims rest in peace

As Covid-19 continues to ravage the country, grieving families, especially those in urban centres, are faced with the stark reality of diminishing space in public cemeteries.

Although majority of counties have been grappling with this phenomenon for years, the situation has been exacerbated by the upsurge of coronavirus deaths in the last two months.

Council of Governors chair Wycliffe Oparanya raised a storm in July when he said that, for instance, Kakamega county does not have land to bury coronavirus victims, eliciting angry reactions especially from residents.

Owing to the strong traditions and beliefs, issues surrounding cemeteries are discussed in hushed tones.

However, a spot-check by People Daily across the country’s main towns and cities in the last one week revealed the grim reality.

Nairobi’s Langata Cemetery has been full for years, but bodies continue to arrive daily for burial.

As one tours the expansive vineyard, sometimes people are forced to step on graves, a clear indication that the place is stretched way beyond the limit. 

A grave attendant interviewed by People Daily said at times it is not even possible to dig graves to the requisite six feet under, but families, especially the poor, have limited options.  John Maina has worked at the cemetery for  30 years.

“We have a big challenge. This cemetery is full but no one wants to take serious action.  We have lamented but our pleas seem to fallen on deaf ears,” said Maina.

At the cemetery, permanent graves for adults cost Sh30,000, children Sh4,000, and infants Sh2,000. Those from outside Nairobi are charged Sh40,000. 

Graves here are flattened every five years, maybe less, to make room for more bodies. No records are kept in the temporary section and families are not allowed to visit after the burial.

“We had already paid  for space but when we went to assess the ground before the body was brought in for burial, we were surprised that the grave was too shallow,” said Mary Wambui and her husband Peter Macharia, who buried a relative at the cemetery recently.

It has been established that a  majority of  families are forced by circumstances to bury their kin in shallow graves for lack of alternatives.

Wycliffe Omurunga shared the tribulations the couple went through. They  faced similar challenges trying to find a place to bury their brother a fortnight ago.

“As a family, we are doing badly financially. The only option we had is to have our brother buried here. To our surprise, we discovered that almost everywhere is full,” he said.

Martin Kiburi lost his child three years ago, but today he is only left with a photo of  where he laid the  child  to rest because  the grave has been dug up several times to bury other bodies.

“If I knew before, I would have struggled to at least have my kid buried at home in Murang’a.

I have no choice but to accept the reality that another person was buried on top of my son,” remarked Kiburi. 

 Recently, Nairobi Metropolitan Services said it had started plans to purchase a new cemetery land to relieve pressure from Lang’ata cemetery. 

It said it had set aside Sh150 million in the current Financial Year towards the undertaking.

Little activity

The same situation is replicated in Mombasa where the main cemeteries such as Mbaraki are reeling from pressure exerted by families looking for space to bury their loved ones.

“That place is congested. There  is very little space left,” said Kenya National Union of Nurses Secretary General Peter Maroko. 

He was speaking shortly after the burial of veteran nurse Margaret Mwadime who succumbed to coronavirus two weeks ago.

Mwadime’s family said they paid Sh70,000 to secure space at the cemetery.

At Sarigoi Cemetery in Mvita, there has been little activity in the last one month as no burials have taken place.

“We do not know whether it is full but we have noticed there is little activity of late,” said a resident living nearby. 

Residents in the coastal city expressed concern that there will be no more space left to bury the dead if the surge in infections currently being witnessed is not contained.

According to Kikowani Cemetery deputy chairman Captain Khamis, the number of bodies arriving for burial has increased from two to three per day unlike in the past few weeks where between two and five bodies were buried per week.

 At Kiziwi Cemetery, only 20 spaces are left, warned Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho during the burial of ODM chairman Mohamed Hatimy who succumbed to Covid-19 on Saturday.

”We will soon lack where to bury the dead if the trend continues because there are only 20 spaces left at Kiziwi Cemetery,” said Joho.

 Matters are no different in Nakuru, with a growing population of over two million people. 

For almost a decade now, public cemeteries in the county have been declared full with efforts by the devolved unit to secure land proving difficult.

Within the town, Nakuru North and South cemeteries which were established in 1918 as the Commonwealth Graves Commission for casualties of World War filled up more than a decade ago.

Shallow graves

It is estimated that  200,000 people have been buried at the North Cemetery and about 90,000 in the South Cemetery.

Doreen Chesimet, 71, from Ngecha Village in Njoro said the public cemetery filled up more than 30 years ago. She says  lack of land had led to the dead being buried in shallow graves.  

When it rains, bodies buried on shallow graves are exposed, with stray dogs having a field day feasting on carcasses.

“A cemetery is supposed to be the final resting place for the dead, however, many bodies in Nakuru cemeteries are no longer resting in peace,” said Chesimet.  

Peter Kamanga, noted that the dead are being placed in graves as shallow as three feet.

Despite the county pledging to set aside land for a new cemetery at Ngongongeri Farm, nothing has been done so far.  

In Subukia Constituency, Susan Njoroge says despite the county moving around in search of land for a public cemetery, residents have been reluctant to sell their lands for the project.

County Chief Officer for Health Samuel King’ori said it had become a struggle to acquire new parcels of land despite budgetary allocations and advertisements almost each year.

Besides reluctance, King’ori added that sellers have been overpricing their parcels. 

“Most people are afraid to sell us the land because they do not want to live near a cemetery or have their land border it,” said King’ori. 

In Kakamega, County Executive Committee Member for Land and Urban Planning Robert Makhanu says even though there were plans to secure bigger cemetery, no money had been allocated the project.

“You know the culture of our people. They will resist any attempt to create a public cemetery in their midst.

That is why the announcement caused a storm. The current budget has no provision for purchase of cemetery land,” said Makhanu.

In the absence of a new grave yard for residents of Kakamega town, “Makabo’ which is Swahili slang for Makaburini (grave sites) estate remains in use 10 years after it was de-commissioned.  

Nahashon Namutale who has lived in Makabo area for close to 25 years says residents have become accustomed to human bodies being exhumed by stray dogs from the cemetery.

He observes; “The cemetery is filled up completely. You cannot find space to bury your loved ones.

So grave diggers are forced to dig shallow graves on top of others to accommodate more bodies. The tragedy is that bodies are exposed by animals or in case of heavy rains.”

Makhanu says though de-commissioned 10 years ago, the cemetery remains in use until an alternative site is identified.

“At least once annually, public health officials arrive here to dispose-off unclaimed bodies. The officers are too inhumane.

They dispose of badly decomposed bodies in mass graves right in front of our houses.

They do this to push us out of this place but we resist,” Namutale says of what has become an annual ritual. Reporting by Alvin Mwangi, Douglas Dindi, Roy Lumbe and Harrison Kivisu

More Articles

---