Nakuru chief officer for Health Samuel Mwaura has affirmed that the county is determined to get cemetery land.
Responding to questions as to why the administration had not yet put up a burial place more than a year since it came into existence, Mwaura said the many requirements for establishing a cemetery had slowed them down.
He said stigma among residents and stringent requirements from the National Environmental Management Authority (Nema) were some of the factors for their lagging behind.
“For a cemetery to be built in a new area, approval by local residents must be sought,” he said, adding that it may not be easy to get the green light, given the various beliefs surrounding death.
The county official said there are various legal requirements governing the setting up of a graveyard that the administration is trying to meet.
“The law also requires that soil type assessment be conducted to establish whether bodies can decompose speedily. The underneath water table should also be examined among other factors,” he said.
The officer said the county government had identified such land along the Nakuru-Kabarak road, Njoro, Molo and Naivasha areas.
He noted that Governor Kinuthia Mbugua is committed to ensuring that the county administration obtains land for the facility.
“The governor is very serious about cemetery land and he’s doing everything possible to ensure that it’s obtained,” he said.
Two graveyards that served Nakuru Town for decades were declared filled-up five years ago.
But despite being closed, the two are still receiving fresh bodies, with new graves being dug besides others, on footpaths or over old ones and along perimeter fences.