There is still no land to bury the dead in Naivasha

The cemetery crisis in Naivasha has deepened after efforts by the county government to acquire land in Mai Mahiu failed at the last minute.

This came as the public health department announced plans to dispose of 20 unclaimed bodies lying at the Naivasha Sub-County Referral Hospital.

Already the Naivasha town cemetery is full and the department of public health has banned the burying of bodies on the land that is incidentally located in a residential area.

Nakuru County Public Health Officer Samuel King'ori said they were seeking alternative land. Mr King'ori said the county was committed to buying the new land but the deal collapsed at the last minute.

"The county was doing the necessary studies on the land in readiness for buying it but we have been informed that the land has been taken by another developer," he said.

He said Naivasha residents would have to use the public cemetery either in Gilgil or Longonot towns to bury their kin.

The senior officer admitted that the issue of acquiring land for cemetery was becoming a major challenge for the county.

"The county is ready to buy cemetery land but the process is facing hiccups either due to lack of appropriate land or opposition by the communities," he said.

King'ori said the 20 unclaimed bodies in Naivasha would be buried in either Gilgil of Longonot.

In a notice issued by the department of public health and signed by Ezekiel Bowen, the hospital has issued a 21-day notice to bury the bodies in a mass grave.

The notice says that the unclaimed bodies have badly decomposed.

Incidentally, majority of the bodies in the facility were brought in by police from Kongoni, Mai Mahiu and Kinangop. Of the bodies, seven did not have any identification documents, one was a prisoner while six were patients at the Naivasha Sub-County Referral Hospital.

Last year, the county was seeking land in Nakuru, Naivasha, Molo and Njoro towns to be used as public cemeteries.

In an advertisement in the daily newspapers, County Secretary Joseph Motari said the county wanted at least 50 acres for Nakuru and 30 acres for Naivasha, Molo and Njoro towns.

"The site should be preferably within 10km from Nakuru and 5km from Molo, Naivasha and Njoro central business districts," the county secretary said.