Nakuru town gets 70 acres for another cemetery

By Steve Mkawale

The Government has averted a crisis over lack of space at public cemeteries in Nakuru.

Local Government Ministry officials went to Nakuru yesterday to assess the 70 acres of land in the outskirts of the town that the municipality had identified for the purpose.

Last week, The Standard published a report on the crisis, and the Government promptly allocated Sh52 million for the purchase of the land.

Yesterday, Town Clerk Sheikh Abdullahi confirmed the Ministry of Local Government was acquiring land for the council. "We are happy the Government has responded to the crisis and we hope to have cemetery land soon," said the chief officer.

The Nakuru North and South cemeteries were filled up six months ago and the council could not acquire more land for lack of funds.

A portion of the South Cemetery was allocated to private developers, who have built residential houses round the graveyard.

The Nakuru North Cemetery, established in 1918 for soldiers who died in the First World War, has been the burial of choice for rich families in the town.

Two years ago, the council tripled the cost of burying the dead at the cemetery due to the limited space, though it did not stop many from burying their dead.

The proposed cemetery land is on Elementaita Road, off the Nairobi-Nakuru highway.