Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya has clarified that the land acquired for a cemetery in the town was not meant for Covid-19 mass graves.
Oparanya said that the two parcels of land he announced having been acquired by his administration were to supplement the county's public cemeteries.
“As you know, we have a public cemetery down here which is already full; I think there is nothing wrong by identifying land near the forest for a cemetery.
“You know that I am planning to make this town a city in the near future and a cemetery is one of the requirements,” he said during Wednesday's Covid-19 update.
He said that some people have bought coffins and saved for the funeral expenses so there was no big deal about the graves.
During the swearing-in of three new chief officers Tuesday, Oparanya said that his government had acquired two parcels of land for graves should there be mass deaths caused by the Covid-19.
“We have identified two parcels of land-one in the southern and another in the northern regions where we will bury people if the deaths are more and we are unable to take the bodies to their homes like the spike in America,” he said.
Oparanya’s announcement sparked fury among Kakamega residents on social media, some accusing him of wishing they are dead. But the county chief said the Covid-19 spike was expected in counties after the reopening of Nairobi and Mombasa, which remain hotspots.
On Wednesday, the governor said death is inevitable and people must prepare for theirs.
“In this world, there is nobody that will never die; everyone is going to die one way or another. As we stand here we must be prepared to die. It's only we don’t know when. I know that it’s our tradition to bury our people at home but we have Muslims here who bury their people in cemeteries,” he said.
He said he meant that the county needed a cemetery outside the town. The governor dismissed allegations that his administration had spent Sh2 billion to purchase land for graves. He said his statement had been politicised and taken out of context.