NAIROBI, Kenya Mar 16 – Kakamega County residents will have to bury their relatives on the same day they die after the county government shut down all mortuaries.
Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya has also closed markers in measures aimed at minimising crowds in the wake of coronavirus.
Kenya has so far confirmed three cases, with more than 30 people on quarantine.
“We have also said that all bodies at our mortuary here, the owners should come and pick them and make a quick burial,” he said.
Going forward, he said, “we are not going to take any bodies to the mortuary, we will instead facilitate the communities to make sure they dispose off the bodies as quickly as possible.”
The directive is bound to elicit mixed reactions from the Luhya community which dominate in the county due to the intricate mourning and burial rituals they perform sometimes running to two weeks.
He ordered county government inspectorate to ensure all business premises have sanitizers at the entrance.
“We have also closed all open-air markets with immediate effect,” he said, “We have directed all public transport, including buses coming through Kakamega County to make sure they have sanitizers.
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