Dadaab Member of Parliament Farah Maalim has proposed for the deployment of police officers to cemeteries across the country.
Speaking during a debate on the state of Lang'ata Cemetery on Wednesday, August 16, the lawmaker suggested that the police be tasked with protecting dead bodies.
He explained that ordinary Kenyans could not protect the bodies adding that thieves had also turned to steal valuables from dead bodies as a business venture
Maalim also urged that the cemetery duties be anchored in law and the core functions of the National Police Service (NPS).
He also cited instances where thieves have stolen the bodies of famous people from cemeteries.
"Why are we finding bodies out there? Is it because people are digging them up to find valuables or are the graves shallow? We need to have a system with the national government where the police protect the dead," he stated.
The former Deputy Speaker also submitted that the government set standard sizes of graves so as to protect the bodies from potential theft.
For starters, he expressed that the graves should be 5 feet deep.
Maalim was making recommendations in a motion filed by Lang'ata MP Phelix Odiwour alias Jalang'o over the alarming state of Langata Cemetery.
According to the ODM lawmaker, a number of the graves were shallow which was making it easier for wild animals to unearth the bodies.
Jalang'o explained that the situation needed to be addressed given the health risks involved.
"This has caused untold anguish, pain and suffering to bereaved families, and psychological torment to the neighbouring community," read the motion in part.
