Bukoba relocates graves for business complex

KAGERA: THE Bukoba Municipal Council has completed the relocation of graves from the old cemetery in Kishenge area to Buhembe Ward, about three kilometres away, to pave the way for construction of a new business complex.

Bukoba Municipal Environmental Officer, Mr Joseph Tambuko, said a total of 3,116 graves were removed from the cemetery, which had been in use for more than a century.

“A total of 3,116 graves have been removed from the old cemetery located along Kishenge Street to Buhembe Ward, about three kilometres from Bukoba town. The old cemetery at Kishenge Street had been in use for more than 100 years, with the oldest grave marked in 1923 and a new grave marked in 2002,” he said.

Mr Tambuko said the relocation exercise was undertaken to allow construction of a modern Machinga Complex that will accommodate over 2,000 entrepreneurs.

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He added that plans to build the business complex in Kishenge area are in the final stages, as the council seeks to improve trading infrastructure and create a conducive environment for small-scale traders.

Under the Graves Removal Act, where land on which a grave is situated is required for a public purpose, the Minister for Lands, Housing and Human Settlements Development is authorised to order the removal of the grave and the reinterment of the remains in an approved location.

The law requires that all necessary steps be taken to ensure proper relocation and re-establishment of the graves, while also safeguarding respect for the deceased. It further stipulates that before any grave is removed, the Minister must issue prior notice of the intention to do so.

The Act defines a cemetery as any area designated or set aside for burial purposes by a relevant authority under existing laws.

It also defines a dead body as the human remains of a deceased person, while a grave includes burial vaults, tombs, mausoleums, coffins and any associated memorials such as gravestones, tablets or inscriptions.