Mombasa County Government has embarked on the restoration of grave sites in the area through the construction of boundary walls and the removal of mounds of garbage.
Most grave sites were not manned and lacked perimeter walls, paving the way for unscrupulous traders to set up shacks.
Deputy Governor (DG), Francis Thoya, who is also the County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Environment, Solid Waste Management, and Energy, is supervising the gravesite restoration.
Mbaraki Cemetery, a historical gravesite where the remains of First and Second World Wars soldiers are interred, has already been renovated.
Restoration of Kongowea Cemetery, which was on the verge of being turned into a dumpsite by traders from the nearby Kongowea market, is now in high gear.
County trucks are removing heaps of trash while construction of a boundary wall has started. Some insensible traders were drying fish on top of the tombs and roasting groundnuts.
The gravesite was an eyesore for years, and the devolved government’s intervention is timely, as it will go a long way to relieve the anguish of relatives seeing their loved ones’ graves being slowly turned into a marketplace.
“As a government, we want to accord our departed loved ones a dignified place to rest. Part of the restoration of dignity is to beautify this place,” said the DG in Kongowea.
DG Thoya pleaded with traders to remove their belongings from the gravesites lest they be forcefully evicted.
“If we are not careful, people will be trading on top of tombs. I have come to inform you to move away so that we can put up a perimeter wall. Whoever will disregard my advice shouldn’t blame me,” said the DG.
“It is wrong to do business on someone’s tomb; it is disrespectful to those resting there. What if it were your relative? How would you feel his grave being turned into a marketplace? We must be humane,” he added.
The churches, he stated, are lamenting that they have neglected the graves. He wondered why traders dare to build shacks where people have buried their loved ones.
Albert Mutua, a Kongowea resident, echoed Thoya’s sentiments, saying traders should vacate graves in peace and find alternative places to do business.
By Sadik Hassan
