NAIROBI, Kenya – Nairobi County has acquired 150 acres of land at Kamiti Prison and Embakasi Garrison to establish new public cemeteries, in a long-overdue move to address the capital’s growing burial space crisis.
The announcement was made by Nairobi Chief Officer for Public Health, Tom Nyakaba, during a session with the County Assembly’s Health Committee.
Nyakaba confirmed that 100 acres have been secured at Kamiti Prison and another 50 acres at Embakasi Garrison.
“These spaces are currently under preparation and will soon be open for public use,” said Nyakaba, noting that the move is intended to reduce the overwhelming pressure on Lang’ata Cemetery — the city’s main public burial ground.
Lang’ata Cemetery, officially declared full over two decades ago in 2001, remains Nairobi’s busiest cemetery, handling approximately 30 burials each week.
Its central location and easy accessibility continue to make it the preferred burial site for many families, despite chronic overcrowding and concerns over shallow graves.
“Lang’ata is easily accessible and well-connected by public and private transport, which is why many still prefer it,” Nyakaba explained.
Nairobi currently operates nine cemeteries, most of them community-managed.
These include Forest Road, Pangani, Mutuini, Uthiru, Southlands, Kariokor Christian, Ruai, and a plot adjacent to the National Police Service.
The county government aims to bring these sites under a unified management structure to improve oversight and service delivery.
Past Cemetery Expansion Efforts Have Failed
Efforts to secure alternative burial land in the past have been fraught with controversy and failure.
In 2009, the city lost millions in a corruption scandal involving the purchase of land in Mavoko.
Subsequent proposals to buy land in Kajiado or acquire forest land near Lang’ata stalled due to legal disputes, regulatory hurdles, and financial constraints.
A 2021 negotiation between the now-defunct Nairobi Metropolitan Services and the Kenya Forest Service also failed to yield results, further compounding the cemetery space crisis.
With the new Kamiti and Embakasi sites underway, county officials hope to finally bring relief to bereaved families who have long struggled with limited and costly burial options.
The shortage has already pushed some families to turn to cremation — a practice still not widely adopted — or seek burial grounds in rural areas and neighboring counties.
