Crisis after court orders Mbarara cemetery land taken
Part of the land in Rwobuyenje where unclaimed bodies from Mbarara City and surrounding areas would be buried. The city lost the land to a private developer following a court case in late 2023. PHOTO/JULIUS BYAMUKAMA
What you need to know:
- Authorities say only plot less than 50 by 100ft was left for a public cemetery after the court order.
Unclaimed dead bodies in Mbarara and surrounding areas may soon be dumped in water bodies or rot along streets and bushes as the city runs without a cemetery.
The former public graveyard in Rwobuyenje, Mbarara City South Division, where unclaimed bodies used to be buried was taken after the city council lost a court case over its ownership in October 2023.
On Thursday, Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital (MRRH) Executive Director Dr Celestine Barigye said “lack of a city mortuary is likely to turn into a crisis because soon there will be nowhere to bury.”
“There is no way a city can progress without places where to decently bury the dead. World over cemeteries should be preserved not only for the burial of unclaimed bodies but also for others who have nowhere to be buried,” he remarked.
MRRH spokesperson Halson Kagure said only a plot less than 50 by 100ft was left after the court order.
“On average we get 20 unclaimed bodies a month- mainly from police, but the remaining land where we used to bury these bodies is less than 50 by 100 ft meaning soon there will be a crisis on where to bury these bodies,” he said.
Mbarara City Council Speaker Bonny Tashobya also told Monitor that: “It’s a crisis to that the whole city has no cemetery. As leaders, we need to find a quick solution.”
Meanwhile, Mbarara Clerk Assay Abireebe Tumwesigye revealed that the city has identified land for a temporary public burial site in Kenkombe, Kakoba, which is in the city’s North Division.
“For a meantime, we had agreed to temporarily bury unclaimed bodies in Kenkombe but we have identified land in Kanywa in Mbarara City North. We have finalized plans for its gazettement as a cemetery,” he added.
City Mayor Robert Mugabe Kakyebezi decried local leaders who say they don’t want the cemetery in their areas.
“For some reasons, some councilors don’t want cemeteries in their areas, it may be because of culture and some traditional beliefs but we will convince them because we can’t live without cemeteries,” Kakyebezi explained.
