Wild animals are feasting bodies buried at Langata cemetery – MPs

Wild animals are mutilating human bodies buried in shallow graves at the filled-up Langata Cemetery as thieves steal coffins,  MPs have said.

The lawmakers said the dead are not resting in peace as the animals are feasting on their bodies every night, thanks to City Hall and the Ministry of Health’s inaction to relocate the site.

“We bury our dead in shallow graves and expose them to be mutilated by wild animals,” Rangwe MP Lilian Gogo said.

“The African culture is to the extent that it respects the dead. It is unfortunate that when we expect our dead to rest, they do not, and instead, their bodies are mutilated by wild animals."

The ODM lawmaker held that besides the mutilation, some bodies are never buried but simply dumped and left to decompose, sending stench to the entire place and the neighbouring estate.

“It is a problem when we have the stench of our dead coming from the backyards of where we live,” she said, calling for the cessation of taking more bodies to the cemetery.

Gogo spoke on the floor of Parliament during a debate sponsored by Langata MP Felix Odiwuor alias Jalangó on the status of Langa’ta cemetery.

In the motion, Jalang’o exposed the ongoing public outcry over the neglect of the graveyard that was declared full in 1998 but has continued to accommodate more bodies due to a lack of alternative sites.

Wild animals from the nearby Nairobi National Park are uncovering and mauling bodies of the dead because of failure by the county and Ministry of Health to seek alternative sites.

As such, bodies are piled up in graves, some less than one metre deep, while some are exhumed within months to pave the way for more bodies.

“This situation has led to overcrowding and double-allocation of burial sites with bodies being buried in shallow graves leading to frequent uncovering by wild animals from the nearby National Park,” he disclosed.

This, the first-term lawmaker said, has caused untold anguish, pain and suffering to the bereaved families, and psychological torment to the neighbouring community.

Jalang’o, in the motion that was overwhelmingly endorsed by the members, asked the national government through the Ministry of Health, to urgently conduct an assessment of the public health risks posed by the continued use of the Cemetery, and to institute mitigatory measures

He wants the ministry in collaboration with the county government to identify suitable alternative land for use as a cemetery.

“This cemetery is, indeed, over-utilised. According to African customs, we cannot exhume a body to create space to bury somebody else," Buuri MP Mugambi Rindikiri said. 

Several attempts by the City Hall to seek alternative sites have failed, with some efforts turning into massive scandals.

Tharaka MP George Murugara claimed that thieves are also exhuming bodies and exposing them to mutilation by wild animals and making away with coffins.

"If you are not careful, two things will happen. Hyenas will feast on dead bodies if coffins are not well done," he said.

"You must be careful if you use a very good coffin at Langata Cemetery. The following day you may find your relative's body outside because a thief snatched the coffin."

Bonchari MP Charles Onchoke expressed shock at the situation at Langata Cemetery and called for an urgent intervention by the two levels of government.

“I am very familiar with Langata Cemetery. It is an old facility that was created before Independence,” he said.

“The projection was to take a small number of people, but over the years, the number of people has risen."

Embakasi North MP James Gakuya termed the state of the cemetery as deplorable but opposed its closure before an alternative site is secured.

“Those who call Nairobi home have nowhere to bury their departed ones. What I, therefore, ask is that the national government and the County of Nairobi hastily find an alternative cemetery site,” he said.

(Edited by Tabnacha O)