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{
    "id": 971555,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/971555/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 300,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. (Dr.) Zani",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13119,
        "legal_name": "Agnes Zani",
        "slug": "agnes-zani"
    },
    "content": "Right now, there are many institutions where embalming and provision of death notifications, death certificates and burial permits can be done. It is very necessary to understand the need for us to look for land in advance. The conversation needs to begin. There could be institutions which are thinking about coming up with insurance policies on the same. The same way the older members of society are given money in the counties is the same way that some money needs to be allocated to families that are bereaved. We are cognizant of what happens when somebody dies. For instance, people have to come together to raise money to ensure the dead person is buried. Some situations are so severe for certain categories or families. Sometimes when people are bereaved, they have to bury the dead without considering the cultural aspects. In certain cultures, burial has to be done in a certain way, people have to eat so much and cows have to be slaughtered. Some families cannot do all that. On the other hand, we know that a lot goes on during burial like having special dressing as a way of showing status. The basic thing is that somebody needs to be buried well. As Sen. (Dr.) Milgo said when she was moving this Motion, other options are also there. Apart from burial, cremation is also coming up. Kenya is changing for the better in the sense that we have cases where more prominent people prefer being cremated. Such plans need to be discussed at the family level so that everything is demystified. I remember before Hon. Wangari Maathai died, she willed to be cremated because it is an environmentally friendly way of disposing the body. If you tie up some of the issues with the environmental cause and preference discourses, then all these options need to be considered, so that in one way or another, our counties can have options. The Motion clearly states that cemeteries are filling up and counties are finding it increasingly difficult to identify public land for use as cemeteries. As I said earlier, the sooner this is done the better because of the whole categorisation of land into public, community and private, and that some land is under the purview of the counties. One thing that also happens when a person dies is subdivision of land. That land should be taken care of because in the African traditions; we have the living and the living dead. That is according to Prof. Mbiti. It is important that that land is put aside and people told that it belongs to the dead. Therefore, people have to behave themselves. They should be informed about their rights and duties and that is the way to go. As a way forward, it is important to pursue this Motion by encouraging a few county assemblies to come up with a Bill from this. I am sure that if some counties catapult this, other counties will also support this because it is functional. For example, in Lang’ata, we have both burial grounds and a crematorium. In Kariokor there is only a crematorium. So, there are various options."
}