A mass grave containing 14 bodies on the outskirts of Kericho Town has brought to light a severe cemetery crisis in Kisii and Nyamira counties, revealing a lack of public burial grounds.

• The 14 bodies were transferred from Nyamira County Referral Hospital Mortuary after legal approval for disposal as unclaimed.
• Neither Nyamira nor Kisii counties have designated public cemeteries, forcing residents to rely on shrinking ancestral land for burials.
• A previous attempt in Kisii County to acquire land for a cemetery in 2022 was mired in a scandal involving Sh34 million.
• Kisii Governor Simba Arati has suggested cremation as a solution due to the severe land shortage.