Nairobi County has secured 150 acres of land at Kamiti Prison and Embakasi Garrison to create new cemeteries, in a bid to ease the strain on the overcrowded Lang’ata Cemetery, which has been operating beyond its capacity for years.
Appearing before a Nairobi County Assembly committee, Chief Officer for Public Health Tom Nyakaba confirmed the acquisition of 100 acres at Kamiti and 50 acres at Embakasi. He assured the committee that preparations are already underway to make the new burial sites ready for public use.
“These spaces are being prepared and will be ready for use shortly,” Nyakaba stated.
Nairobi currently operates nine cemeteries, most of which are managed by local communities. These include burial sites located at Forest Road, Pangani, Mutuini, Uthiru, Southlands, Kariokor Christian, Ruai, and land adjacent to the National Police Service.
To improve management and ease pressure on Lang’ata Cemetery, the county is working to bring all these cemeteries under a single, coordinated oversight framework.
Despite being officially declared full back in 2001, Lang’ata remains the city’s busiest burial ground, handling about 30 burials every week. Its popularity persists largely due to its central location and ease of access.
“Lang’ata is easily accessible and well-connected by public and private transport, which is why many still prefer it,” explained Chief Officer for Public Health Tom Nyakaba.
Attempts to buy other graveyard land in Nairobi have been plagued by a number of setbacks over the years. The most notable one was the 2009 scandal where the county government lost millions in a disputed deal involving the purchase of land in Mavoko.
Subsequent attempts, for instance, to buy land in Kajiado or reallocate forest land near Lang’ata also hit the rocks due to legal squabbles, shortage of finances, or bureaucratic hurdles. In 2021, negotiations between the then-scrapped Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) and the Kenya Forest Service also collapsed without an agreement, further suspending the project in limbo.
These consecutive failures have compounded the Lang’ata Cemetery graveyard space shortage. With limited space and growing demand, others have turned to shallow graves for their loved ones.
By Nairobiwire