Residents of Ndunyu Njeru in Nyandarua County have protested the building of a honey refinery in a public cemetery which also has a sewage plant.
The honey refinery, a project of the county government of Nyandarua, has attracted backlash with locals terming it as a move that goes against their beliefs.
“We have seen a banner claiming to build a honey refinery inside a cemetery, where people are buried, it is something we don't understand, so who will consume the honey, probably children who don't understand anything," a resident told journalists.
The residents claimed the county was exhuming bodies to create space for the construction. Claims Kenyans.co.ke could not independently verify.
"If someone wants to start a project, they can purchase land, there are several lands to buy here in Nyandarua. Imagine harvesting your honey from the bush and taking your honey to a cemetery,” another resident told journalists.
They lashed at the county government for failing to involve them in the project, further accusing the local MCA of negligence.
The residents also noted that the project was being implemented near a sewage plant and a dumpsite, raising health concerns.
According to the residents, the county government already spent money on the plant and dumpsite only to come up with another project.
“The dustbin built inside this cemetery has no purpose yet a lot of money was spent building it, now we are witnessing another mistake of building a refinery in a cemetery," a resident remarked.
"The MCA from this ward doesn't consult anyone before implementing a project, he uses his own thoughts to take action and we want an explanation of the actions of our MCA.”
According to the residents, a cemetery or graveyard is considered sacred, and building a honey refinery is against culture.
"According to our culture, we know the essence of a cemetery, dead bodies need a sacred place of high level, we are witnessing a situation where bodies are being exhumed for a honey company to be built, and we still do not understand if they have reverted the cemetery to a honey company," he said.
