A legislator has called upon the County Government of Nakuru to secure new land for establishment of a cemetery following the fill up of the Nakuru North cemetery.
Bahati Member of parliament Kimani Ngunjiri said the graveyards that served Nakuru Town and its environs for decades were declared filled-up about five years ago.
“I appeal to the county government to consider buying even a 20 acre parcel of land to facilitate the establishment of a new cemetery. The situation at the current Nakuru North cemetery is wanting,” said Ngunjiri.
Speaking at his constituency on Friday during the commissioning of development projects the lawmaker noted that the public was finding it difficult to bury their loved ones and give them a decent send-off.
The MP said that even the cemetery staff was finding it difficult to dig graves on the facility as about 99 percent of the land was occupied by previous graves.
“How can you bury a body where another has just been buried?” the lawmaker wondered adding that such a practice was against traditions.
However, according to a top county government official who sought anonymity, the search for an alternative graveyard has been complicated by traditional myths with many people shying away from selling their land for the use, due to traditional beliefs surrounding death.
The official further revealed that there are various legal requirements governing the setting up of a graveyard that the county government is trying to meet.
The law requires among other factors that soil type assessment be conducted to establish whether bodies can decompose speedily in a place and underneath water table be examined before setting up a cemetery.