Unfulfilled promises dog plans to acquire land for new cemetery as Langa’ta on the brink of closure

In June last year, the Nairobi City County announced plans to partner with the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) to secure an additional 56 acres of land for the expansion of Lang’ata cemetery.

City Hall resolved to initiate a plan to redevelop the cemetery into a serene memorial ground.

“This project will involve comprehensive landscaping and extensive renovations, including fencing, change of signage, grading, and graveling of roads inside the cemetery, transforming it into a tranquil place of remembrance and peace,” a resolution by the County Executive Committee said.

The county government further indicated plans to identify and secure additional land for future burials to ensure that the needs of the community are met with respect and sustainability, maintaining dignity in the management of burial sites.

Twenty-five years after the public cemetery was declared full and now posing a health hazard to Nairobi residents, its closure and renovation still remains a dream as the county government is yet to agree with KFS or seek out a new ground where the public can lay their loved ones to rest.

According to the Public Chief Health Officer Tom Nyakaba, most of the proposed burial sites lie outside Nairobi’s jurisdiction and require inter-county agreements to proceed.

Nyakaba noted that while community cemeteries have been brought under county management to ease pressure on Lang’ata, as relocation remains a challenge.

“Relocation can only happen if the counties reach an agreement. For now, community cemeteries are being integrated into the county system, which could ease Lang’ata’s burden by up to 20,000 graves,” the chief officer noted.

The crisis is compounded by the fact that families continue to favour Lang’ata over the city’s eight other public cemeteries. According to Nyakaba, Lang’ata cemetery’s popularity stems from its convenient location.

“Many people can access Lang’ata with ease. Its strategic location offers convenient transport options, both private and public,” he said.

Lang’ata continues to face pressure due to its accessibility and symbolic importance.

The chief officer revealed that approximately 2,000 grave spaces remain, though many are reused under public health regulations as the cemetery hosts around 30 burials each week.

“Due to land limitations, we apply public health laws that allow multiple interments in a single grave. It’s legal and done solely to manage space,” he explained.

In 2009, City Hall lost millions of shillings in a scandal involving the purchase of 48.5 acres of land in Mavoko, Machakos County.

Although the land was valued at Ksh 24 million, it was purchased for Ksh 283 million. Several top officials were imprisoned over the matter.

Subsequent attempts in 2016 and 2017 also failed.

A proposal to buy land in Kajiado was dropped due to cost, while a plan to convert a 67-acre forest adjacent to Lang’ata Cemetery was blocked by KFS, which argued that 50 acres had already been allocated to Nairobi City Council in the 1990s—although no documentation was found to confirm this.

Even negotiations in 2021 between the defunct Nairobi Metropolitan Services and KFS to secure land near Lang’ata bore no fruit.

Another option, to move the cemetery to Kangundo, where 10 acres were reportedly available, also stalled.

Now, the public burial ground stands on the brink of closure, with the ministry of Health sounding the alarm over its worsening condition and declaring it a potential public health hazard.

The crisis has been years in the making.

Despite repeated warnings, plans to expand the facility or secure alternative land have never materialized.

Today, the consequences of that inaction are painfully evident.

According to a recent report by a select committee, Lang’ata Cemetery is overcrowded, poorly maintained, and increasingly unsafe.

Public Health Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni described the facility as a public health risk.

“The City County of Nairobi should ensure that all activities at the cemetery comply with public health laws governing such practices to prevent the spread of infectious diseases, social stigma, and environmental pollution,” Muthoni said.

She added that should the county fail to act, the Ministry is prepared to officially declare the cemetery a health hazard.

However, the statement by MOH was met with opposition from the County Assembly of Nairobi Health Committee, who stated that an alternative burial site has to be located first.

According to the committee chairperson and Mountain View MCA Maurice Ochieng, there needs to be a proper transition to avoid causing distress to city families.

He added that it is wrong to wake up and decide to close the 100-acre facility.

“We cannot wake up and say we are closing it. We must have an alternative place for the departed because in a day, about 20 people are buried at the cemetery,” Ochieng said.

He added that halting burials without a backup plan would leave many residents stranded.

“If we just stop immediately and city residents will suffer, as a committee of health, we are deliberating on the way forward before it is closed,” he said.

A member of the committee and Woodley MCA, Davidson Ngibuini, alias DNG, noted that the concerns raised over shallow graves and overuse are valid, but they must be handled with care.

“The issue of shallow graves is weighty, as said by the national government; thus, an alternative should be found and a policy around it,” he stated.

Nominated MCA and Committee vice chairperson Lily Kidenda warned against the closure of the cemetery without notifying the public and ensuring there’s a place for the deceased.

“Because death does not wait for anyone, there will be people dying and they need to be buried, and it will be critical that the procedures are followed,” she said.

The City lawmakers said they will continue discussing possible solutions, but maintained that abrupt closure is not an option.

Since its opening in 1958, Lang’ata has served as the final resting place for over 157,000 individuals, including iconic prominent Kenyans like radio guru Leonard Mambo Mbotela and Reggae MC Njambi Koikai.

Efforts to resolve the crisis, which involve buying another land, have faltered repeatedly.

However, Muthoni stressed that expansion would only be possible if the county reclaimed a five-acre plot adjacent to the cemetery currently occupied by private residences.

“Nairobi City County should reclaim the grabbed land next to the cemetery for expansion purposes,” she said.

Beyond overcrowding, the cemetery has also become a hotspot for criminal activity.

The select committee found that human remains and other illegal items had been dumped there, raising further public concern about safety.

The cemetery continues to operate and charge for services.

Permanent graves for adult Kenyan citizens cost Ksh 30,500, while those for children and infants cost Ksh 22,500 and Sh15,500, respectively.

For non-citizens, the rates are higher: Ksh 50,000 for adults, Ksh 35,000 for children, and Ksh 27,500 for infants.

Temporary graves cost Ksh 7,000 for adults, Ksh 4,000 for children, and Ksh 2,000 for infants.