Families Raise Concerns Over Encroachment on Eldoret Cemeteries

By William Kiptoo

Eldoret, Kenya’s fastest growing town, is writing its future over the remains of its past. Nowhere is this more visible than at Eldoret Cemetery Number 2, also known as the Christian Cemetery. Families who buried their loved ones there fear that new developments, particularly the expansion of Kipchoge Stadium, are edging dangerously close to the graves, threatening to erase them completely.

Overgrown grass, vandalized headstones, and the absence of a protective fence have left the cemetery in ruins. The land around it is being consumed by construction.

“Every day we see the cemetery shrinking,” says one relative. “Our families are being erased in the name of development.”

In 2020, families who had loved ones buried at the Christian Cemetery created a WhatsApp group. At first, it was a space for sharing memories. Soon, it became a platform for activism. Members pooled resources to hire a lawyer to pursue legal redress. But the lawyer, they say, has not been helpful.

Equally disappointing, Uasin Gishu County authorities have been unresponsive. Appeals to the Department of Lands, Housing, Physical Planning and Urban Development, the Department of Culture and Heritage, and the Chief Officer for Housing and Urban Development have all gone unanswered. The County Assembly and ward representatives have also remained silent.

“We put our faith in the courts, but the lawyer has done little. It feels like another betrayal.” – Concerned family member

At the top of this chain of accountability is Governor Dr. Jonathan Bii Chelilim, elected in 2022. Families insist he bears ultimate responsibility for ensuring land use decisions respect cultural heritage. His deputy, Evans Kapkea, sworn in late 2024, has not addressed the issue either.

The silence, families say, amounts to complicity. “We are asking for dignity for the dead, not favors,” says a community elder. “Why is it so hard for our leaders to act?”

A Cultural Blind Spot

One reason cemeteries in Eldoret are neglected lies in cultural practice. Many families in the region bury their dead in rural ancestral homes, where graves are cared for and respected. Public cemeteries, by contrast, are where those without rural land are interred. This has fostered a damaging perception: that public cemeteries are less important, almost disposable.

This cultural blind spot has left cemeteries like Christian Cemetery, Kamkunji, Kiplombe, and even the Muslim Cemetery—which is nearly full—in states of disrepair or encroachment.

“Because most people don’t use them, no one cares if they disappear.” – Community activist

Beyond being burial grounds, Eldoret’s cemeteries are historical archives. Tombstones tell stories of African, Asian, and European settlers who shaped the town. Each neglected grave erases a piece of that memory.

Unlike cities worldwide that preserve cemeteries as heritage parks, Eldoret treats its cemeteries as expendable land, ripe for redevelopment.

Demands for Action

The families’ demands are simple:

Immediate cleanup of the Christian Cemetery and others.
Installation of a durable fence to secure graves.
Recognition of cemeteries as heritage sites in Eldoret’s urban planning.
Accountability from the Governor, Deputy Governor, County Executive Committee, and local MCAs.

“This isn’t just about us,” says one elder. “It’s about the dignity of the dead and the identity of our town. If we let the cemeteries vanish, we let our story vanish with them.”

“A community that forgets its dead, forgets itself.”)

Eldoret is rapidly becoming an international hub for athletics and commerce. But without urgent action, it risks another legacy: the town that buried its dead twice, first beneath the soil, and then under the weight of indifference.

Photo by Jane Jemutai Goin (Facebook)