Plans to set build the first private and luxury cemetery in Kenya are in an advanced stage as NEMA approves the facility which will be near the Kinale Forest, Nyandarua County.
For some years now, Kenyans have faced challenges due to limited burial spaces in public cemeteries across the country. Most counties are running out of burial space, or they have already run out of space. In 2014, a majority of urban centers in the country had expressed great concerns over the reduction of burial space.
Reasons for the limited space include more urbanization hence more people living in the towns, as well as due to encroachment on land that has been set aside as cemeteries. As a result of these shortages, most county governments have increased the burial fees. Nairobi County, for instance, raised its burial fees by 40 percent. Adult burial fees rose from Ksh 50,000 per unit to Ksh 70,000 per unit. As for ordinary zones, the rate increased from Ksh 17,400 per unit to Ksh 25,000per unit.
Gates of Pearl cemetery in Kenya approved
In most developed countries, luxury cemeteries have are popular as fabulous rich individuals look for ways to continue living luxuriously in death. Locally, however, the idea of a luxury cemetery has not been existence since most wealthy individuals prefer being laid to rest in their own homesteads. However, there is a group of investors who want to change this by investing in the first private and luxury cemetery. These investors are setting up a more than 65-acre private cemetery in Kenya which will be going for a premium for those who can afford.
The Gates of Pearl will be a high-end cemetery that has already been approved by Kenya’s National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA). The cemetery is expected to offer more than 35,000 mausoleums for wealthy individuals that want to rest luxuriously. The cemetery is located right next to Kinale Forest in Nyandarua County.
Among investors behind The Gates of Pearl, is Fusion Capital, a private equity company. Mr. Daniel Kamau, the company’s CEO, recently said that Peponi investments were to undertake the project where Alliance Capital Partners is a majority owner. Mr. Kamau said that there are several Kenyans that are looking for quality cemeteries. He said that cemeteries are a market that most investors are currently looking forward to cashing in on.
In a recent interview in a local Television, Mr. Kamau was quoted saying, “we saw it as an opportunity and will break ground later this year to meet this need by giving our loved ones a decent burial.”
Canadian firms to construct the first luxury Cemetery in Kenya
Together, investors have put up Ksh. 800 million to cater for the project. The project will be undertaken by two Canadian landscape architectural companies Erik Lee & Associates and Birmingham & Wood Architects. The later has been in business since the early 1930s.
Alliance Capital Partners have said on their website that the memorial park will offer premium interment lots as well as memorial sites for people that want to remember their beloved one in a secure setting.
Other than just being a cemetery, there will be a chapel, a restaurant, and a fuel station. The cemetery also has several rivers passing through it. Each unit will cost about Ksh 130000. A single mausoleum will have a 50-year lease from the date of burial.