• The cemetery is home to the remains of 59 African World War casualties.
• CWGC’s Director General Victoria Wallace to meet Governor Mike Sonko on the project in December.
Image: VICTOR IMBOTO
The Commonwealth War Graves at Kariokor are set to undergo a renovation following the removal of illegal settlement by the county government.
In the long term, a heritage space will also be created on-site for visitors to the cemetery.
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission director general Victoria Wallace wrote to Governor Mike Sonko on October 24 to notify him of these plans.
“We hope that this will also provide an opportunity for our organisation to develop much closer links with both the National Museums of Kenya and the local community,” reads part of the letter.
Wallace said she will be visiting Nairobi on December 2, to inspect all sites and check on the progress at Kariokor.
She will also be meeting Governor Sonko to discuss more on the project and how it would benefit the capital.
In his response, Sonko said the commission's gesture is a testament that the county's efforts to protect public land is bearing fruit.
Sonko said he is looking forward to hosting the CGWC director to discuss better ways of protecting heritage sites and exploring other partnership ventures.
“I am delighted by this gesture and more than ready to meet the Commonwealth officials when they come,” Sonko said.
On October 18, a CGWC official alerted the office of the governor that they were having land issues in some of their gazetted sites in Nairobi.
Some residents had purported to have been allocated parcels of land in the cemetery by the county lands office.
Their occupation was making it difficult for the Commonwealth to maintain the site and accord the soldiers buried there the respect they deserve.
The following day, around 200 city askaris arrived at the cemetery land in their patrol cars and a bulldozer to evict residents.
At least 30 residents, who claimed to have been living there since 2016 tried to protest, but they eventually gave up and watched the demolition take place.
Kariokor Ward Representative Millicent Mugadi told the Star that the people had encroached on protected land meant for graves.
"This is not the first time we are having this issue. They know very well that they do not own the land, only that where they built there were no graves," she said.
The cemetery is home to the remains of 59 African World War casualties.
Over 40,000 carrier corps died in the colonial era and are buried in Commonwealth War cemeteries across the country, from Mombasa to Gilgil to Kiganjo.
In Nairobi, there are four war cemeteries and are located on Ngong Road, Nairobi South Cemetery on Bunyala Road, Forest Road Cemetery in Pangani and Kariokor Cemetery.