Alarm after developers grab Kisii burial land

The county is looking for alternative cemetery land after some developers grabbed part of the plot meant for burials.

What today passes as the Nyambera Cemetery was formerly land set aside by the defunct municipal council for recreation under the town’s 1971 development plan.

Owing to the site’s proximity to the mortuary at Kisii Level Six Hospital, it was decided that it be used as burial ground.

The cemetery is, however, under threat from private developers, who have demarcated huge chunks of land for themselves.

The county’s Chief Officer for Lands, Mr Zablon Ongori, said the grabbers will be evicted and the land reclaimed. He said the land will, however, be used for a different purpose.

He said even as they move to repossess the land, residents have not accepted to bury their relatives away from their homes as this is considered a taboo.

“We are encouraging the people to start burying their loved ones in cemeteries as we no longer want to have graves in every homestead,” he said.

The county government has set aside more than Sh20 million to purchase burial land, he added. “We are looking for a piece of land within the town, where we can establish a cemetery. We have a challenge since Kisii has no land,” he said.

UNCLAIMED BODIES

He said three other sub-counties had been identified as requiring public cemeteries.

However, in the neighbouring Nyamira County, the situation is different.

They are yet to identify a site for a public cemetery despite many assurances to the residents by the current authority and the defunct council to do so.

Unclaimed bodies from various mortuaries are being taken to Kisii County for burial, though the space set aside for this is becoming scarce.

“We have not designated any site for a public cemetery because we have no public plot near the county headquarters that is suitable for the purpose. In view of this, we did not allocate any funds in the current budget for burial land,” said Mr John Omanwa, who is in charge of Nyamira County’s Finance docket.

He said the county government wanted to buy a plot that could be used as a cemetery but this has not been possible because landowners are not willing to have it near their homes.

“This is a cultural issue but I am sure the county government will eventually find a plot for a cemetery,” he added.

The Migori county government is also planning to purchase land for a cemetery.

County Lands Chief Officer Joshua Ngwala said they were mapping areas that are suitable for the facility in all the eight sub-counties in the region.

“The defunct municipal council had set aside land near the Lichota airstrip as a cemetery but the place is inappropriate because it is going to become the new county headquarters. The Agricultural Society of Kenya and the Kenya Forestry Research Institute have also been allocated part of the land that was previously used as a cemetery,” he said.

“We are going to conclude the process soon,” said the official.

In Bomet, the county government has set aside two acres to put up a cemetery. The County Executive Committee member for Lands and Urban Planning, Ms Patricia Lasoi, said the land will be divided into three to cater for the interests of Muslims, Hindus and Christians.

Additional reporting by Henry Nyarora, Elisha Otieno and Geoffrey Rono