The rapid cremation of the late Charles Njonjo after his death once again highlighted clashing attitudes towards funerals in Kenya.
Cremation has long been practised by Kenyans of Asian and European descent but is increasingly gaining favour among upper-class Africans. With reports indicating that basic rates for cremation in Nairobi begin at Sh40,000, the cost of cremation is not drastically different from that of a burial. This means that cost is not the only reason why cremation is confined to a small section of the population. Attitudes and beliefs could be much bigger reasons.
Sociology lecturer Dr Joseph Kabiru says most Kenyans have negative attitudes towards cremation because the burning of bodies was traditionally done as punishment to criminals. “The slow process of culture change suggests it will take long for attitudes to change towards cremation and for it to be accepted widely,” Dr Kabiru said.
The slow process of culture change suggests it will take long for attitudes to change towards cremation and for it to be accepted widely
SPACE FOR BURIALS
Kabiru believes one of the factors that will push more people into accepting cremation is cost considerations and limited space for burial. In the US, cremation is done for about half of all deaths. Many large cities in Europe have cremation rates exceeding 60 per cent. Japan and Taiwan have cremation rates of over 90 per cent. The two island territories have no land left for burials.
There is still plenty of land in Kenya available for burials, but not everybody has access to land. A growing number of urban residents depend on public cemeteries, most of which are already full of graves. Nairobi’s Lang’ata cemetery is a case in point. It was declared full more than 20 years ago but burials continue at every available space. New graves are dug on top of older ones.
One of the arguments in favour of cremation is that it is environmentally friendly, that it won’t result in a landscape filled with graves. Not many are convinced about the environmental argument, though. Nahashon Kimemia, a social media influencer in Nairobi, believes burial is environmentally friendly. “Your body goes to feed plants and animals in the soil and so does the wood that carries you six feet below ground,” he says. “I believe environmentalists should encourage it [burials]. Why burn fossil fuels after you die?”
Before Charles Njonjo’s cremation, well-known Kenyan personalities who were cremated included Prof Wangari Maathai, former Safaricom boss Bob Collymore, former politician Kenneth Matiba, legislator Ken Okoth and Jane Kiano, a former head of the Maendeleo ya Wanawake organisation.
RELIGION AND CREMATIONS
Religious beliefs play a big role in shaping local attitudes towards cremation. Approximately 70 per cent of Kenyans practise Christianity, which has long been associated with burials. Some 11 per cent practise Islam, which emphasises burial rather than cremation. From a religious perspective, most Kenyans see cremation as a rather unusual way of handling the departed.
An evangelist stoked controversy in 2019, when he said it is wrong for Christians to engage in cremation when resting their loved ones. William Kasee described cremation as unbiblical. “It is not supposed to be done by Christians, born-again persons or leaders. When you imitate these things, you are going against the will of God; you are going against the word of God,” he said while presiding over a funeral in Kitui.
ALTERNATIVE FUNERALS
Cremation and conventional burials are not the only ways of sending off the departed. Burials can also happen at sea, where the body of the departed is tied with weights and sunk into the waters. Ever heard of a sky burial?
In parts of Asia, where the ground is too rocky and wood fuel is not available for cremations, sky burials were practised until recently. According to the Encyclopaedia Brittanica, bodies subjected to a sky burial are left out in a specially designated place to be devoured by vultures. This practice was common in parts of present-day India, Pakistan, Iran and China. Sky burials are no longer done because of public health reasons.
One could choose to go the way of the late Bishop Desmond Tutu. His body was reportedly dissolved in chemicals in a process known as aquamation or liquid cremation. Proponents of aquamation say it is environmentally friendly because it does not consume as much fuel as cremation by fire, but what happens to the dissolved substances after the process is complete? Does the solution get flushed into the sewage system? For this reason, most countries do not allow aquamation.
SURPRISING HASTE
An interesting aspect of the late Charles Njonjo’s funeral is the speed at which it happened. Njonjo’s body was taken to the Kariakor Crematorium on Sunday, January 2, less than five hours after his death was announced. The quick turn of events was a huge surprise in a society used to grand funerals and speeches from politicians. There was speculation the funeral was done quickly to preclude those who may want to interfere with funeral arrangements.
Indeed, many are the times when funerals of prominent persons are stopped by court orders obtained by people claiming to be married to the deceased. The cases have been numerous enough for the National Assembly to debate and approve an amendment to the law of succession. The amendment was sponsored by Peter Kaluma, Member of Parliament for Homa Bay.
“When I am dead, my wife should not be mourning while another one I met at a retreat somewhere is in another court coming to disturb my wife,” Kaluma said. His amendment states that only a legally recognised spouse qualifies for inheritance. “Inheritance will now be limited to legally married husbands and wives and their legal children,” Kaluma is quoted explaining what was popularly known as the "Slay Queens Bill”.
The amendment is now law after the President signed it into force on November 17, 2021.
