A cemetery is supposed to be the final resting place for the deceased in urban areas. However, many bodies in major towns are no longer at ease. After tens of thousands of burials, space is running out and desperate measures are being taken to accommodate fresh burials. Today, we look at Kisumu, where the county is planning to turn little-used cemeteries into tourism and heritage sites, and Mombasa, where up to 80 unclaimed bodies are buried at a go in mass graves.
For many residents of Kisumu city whose cultural practices relating to death and the afterlife are engulfed in fear and mystery, the thought of using cemeteries in a recreational way may sound bizarre.
But this will soon be a thing of the past if plans by the county government to conserve and maintain the graveyards into tourism and heritage sites are anything to go by.
Most communities in the county, which has a population of about 1.5 million people, have not fully embraced cemeteries. They prefer to bury their loved ones at rural homesteads instead of public graveyards.
Being a cosmopolitan city, Kisumu also has sizeable populations of Hindus, Sunni-Muslims and Ismailia communities, who prefer to use the cemeteries and crematoriums.
Luo communities are the majority in the city but it also inhabited by Luhya and Kisii, among others communities.
Some of the cemeteries in Kisumu are those of Hindu, Sunni-Muslims and Ismailia, which are located next to Lake Victoria along the Kisumu International Airport Road. There is also the Mamboleo public cemetery.
As other major towns grapple with shortage of space in public cemeteries, Kisumu is an exception, as most residents would rather bury the dead at rural homes as a way of honouring the deceased and paying their last respects.
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Members of the public at Mamboleo public cemetery/MAURICE ALAL
NO SHELTER, FENCE
In the rocky, open-field Mamboleo cemetery, there is still space, but workers there face several challenges, including lack of shelter. They said during harsh weather, especially rainy and sunny seasons, they are forced to shelter under trees.
The more than 10-acre cemetery is open, such that residents and those grazing their animals gain access for various destinations.
Caretaker Mathayo Shikuku, who has worked in the graveyards since 1994, said the cedar pole fence has been damaged by those who steal the poles for firewood.
He said there is still space but more land should be allocated in future as the population grows.
Shikuku appealed to the county government to renovate the cemetery and build a perimeter wall. “Look at my office, under a tree. Like now it is almost raining and I have nowhere to shelter. There is an urgent need to build even a small house,” he said.
Mamboleo public cemetery caretaker Mathayo Shikuku with his colleague at his “office” under trees/MAURICE ALAL
As he takes the writer around, Shikuku said most of those buried at the cemetery are children and infants.
He said most people buried in rural homes apart from few individuals who comes from far regions and cannot raise money to ferry the body to rural homesteads.
“Sometimes we take even a month without someone buried here,” Shikuku said while seated under a tree, which he called his “office”. "Last month we buried six people and today (Tuesday), I am waiting for one body."
CREMATION A TABOO
On cremation, Shikuku said culture does not allow people to cremate.
Anthony Opondo, a pastor based in Mombasa who came to book a space for his colleague to bury a wife, agreed that African traditions make people shy away from cremating the dead.
Ahero town resident Julia Opondo, 63, said: “We have to respect the dead and follow the cultural practices by our ancestors,” she said.
Mary Owino, who buried two of her children at the cemetery two years ago, said she had no money to transport the bodies to her rural home. “My culture and traditions does not allow me to cremate their body,” she said.
Health executive Elizabeth Ogaja attributes this to the religion and culture of the indigenous communities.
“There is proper disposal of bodies in Kisumu public cemeteries and the question of congestion does not arise because most locals shy away from using them,” she said.
Hindu-Crematorium in Kisumu/MAURICE ALAL
As the population grows and the city also expands rapidly, more land will have to be set aside for cemetery purposes, Ogaja added.
The National Council for Population and Development projects that by 2030, Kenya’s population will be 77 million.
The medic said according to the World Bank, half the population will live in cities by 2050. So it is important for the Kisumu government to have alternative public cemeteries.
Apart from the Hindu community who cremate their dead, the Muslims and Ismailia communities also bury their loved ones in graveyards, she said.
Ogaja said the county has not developed a policy on public cemeteries but is working towards that.
Among the Hindu, only adults are cremated and children are buried at the crematorium. Apneri Amwai, 30, caretaker of the three-acre Hindu crematorium, said the community only cremates adults.
Moffat Odingo, who has worked for 19 years as caretaker of the Ismailia Cemetery in Kisumu, said there is still enough space. “We have not seen bodies being dug up by dogs in the cemetery,” he said.
He said it sometimes takes even a year before burying the dead. “Most Ismailia send their children abroad, so they are not many in numbers,” Odingo said.
Ismailia cemetery in Kisumu city which is well maintained/MAURICE ALAL
For the Sunni-Muslims cemetery, caretaker Juma Wanyonyi, 57, said there is still space but in future more land will be needed to meet the population growth and increase deaths.
Musa, who has worked at the cemetery for 26 years, said 50 mosques are using the more than eight acres of cemetery. “In a week, we bury three times or six, depending on which mosque has lost someone,” he said.
A Muslim, Ramadhan Salim said their religion and culture do not allow them to cremate. He said that cremating is against Muslims laws.
“A woman is buried by fellow women similar to men. It is also not allowed for Muslims to cement the graves, to allow recycling of the spaces in future,” Salim said.
Former councillor Tom Ogola, a Kisumu resident, said the African culture still plays a key role in how various communities bury their loved ones.
“Even if someone died away from home or in another country, the body must be brought back home,” he said.
BURIAL CHARGES
According to the Kisumu Finance Act, cemetery charges vary, depending on services provided.
The grounds only cost Sh2,000 (adults), Sh1,500 (children) and Sh1,050 (infant), while grounds plus digging a grave costs Sh 3,000 (adults), Sh2,000 (children) and Sh1, 500 (infant). Unclaimed bodies are charged Sh1,050 and exhumation Sh3,000.
Those seeking special burial zoning pay Sh3,500 (adults), Sh2,000 (children) and Sh1,500 (infants), with burial search per grave costing Sh1,000 at Mamboleo cemetery.
Ogaja said that there is no specific budgetary allocation for cemeteries but through public-private partnership, the cemeteries are well-maintained and cared for.
The county government is currently working in collaboration with the public and the county assembly to ensure the cemeteries are well conserved for tourism purposes and job creation.
Ogaja said cemeteries are among the most valuable of historic resources. “They are reminders of various settlement patterns, such as villages, rural communities, urban centres and ghost towns,” she said.
The Health executive said cemeteries can reveal more information about historic events, religions, lifestyles, and genealogy. However, they are also seen as a frightening, horrid and gloomy place in the minds of many people.
“We want to have beautiful graveyards, where people sit and have conversations with friends, like in other cities across the world,” Ogaja said.
Pathway into Hindu-Crematorium in Kisumu/MAURICE ALAL
FACELIFT FOR TOURISM
Tourism Committee chairman MCA Jacktone Onunga said cemeteries are potential tourist sites and if well maintained and conserved can generate revenue.
Onunga said a motion was tabled and passed in the assembly to allow the county to conserve the graveyards as a tourism heritage.
He said members approved that the cemeteries must be well fenced, painted and kept clean.
“We agreed to renovate the cemeteries and erect a perimeter wall. We also resolved to embrace public-private participation to help in the conservation,” Onunga said.
On the shortage of space, the MCA said Kisumu has huge chunks of land that can be turned into public graveyards if demand arises.
Onunga said in some countries, cemeteries have been turned into lush parks and gardens that provide green islands and a home to plants and small animals, hence helping to preserve biodiversity.
If viewed in this light, well-maintained cemeteries can turn out to be a revenue source for county governments, he said.
His committee counterpart Farida Salim agreed, adding: “If they are well maintained and expanded for tourism purposes then they will create more job opportunities for caretakers,” Salim said.
The nominated MCA said most Muslims have embraced commercial burial at cemeteries and not homesteads.
“We must strive to promote cultural and religious diversity by preserving the graveyards,” Salim said.
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