Members of Parliament now want the Ministry of Health to conduct an assessment of the public health risks posed by continued use of the Lang’ata cemetery that was declared full over a decade ago.
Supporting a motion by Lang’ata Member of Parliament Phelix Odiwuor, the lawmakers called on the national government to collaborate with the Nairobi City County to identify a suitable alternative land for use as a cemetery.
Oduor argues that the continued use of the cemetery has led to “overcrowding and double allocation of burial sites with bodies being buried in shallow graves leading to frequent uncovering by wild animals from the nearby national park causing pain and anguish to the bereaved families.”
While supporting the motion Westlands MP Tim Wanyonyi called upon the Nairobi County Government to allocate funds in order to end crisis.
“When I was a councilor at Nairobi City Council, we set aside money to buy for an alternative cemetery and the money was embezzled. I believe the County Government has a duty to set aside funds to mitigate the situation,” he said.
The Lang’ata Cemetery is the largest burial ground in Nairobi and has been in operation since 1958.
However, with the growing population the facility has faced challenges of overcrowding and inadequate maintenance.
