Nakasongola Residents Protest Stench from Cemetery

Residents of Kibira village in Nakasongola town council have accused the authorities of carrying out shoddy burials at the public cemetery.

 

The residents say the hurried burial of two unclaimed bodies at the cemetery in shallow graves is responsible for a stench that that has invaded the village.

 

The bodies were deposited in the cemetery last week.

 

Residents say that a few days later dogs managed to partly exhume the bodies and eat parts of them.

 

Fred Kyagulanyi who lives near the cemetery says the stench from the remains has attracted the flies and now the whole village is at risk of disease outbreak.

 

Kyagulanyi says he petitioned Nakasongola town clerk Umar Ntege after the dogs littered his compound with some of the remains. Nothing was done.

 

He says he now wants to ask court to pronounce itself that his right to a clean environment has been violated by town council.

 

Another affected resident Joy Nambugu says that many villagers abandon the area during the day because of the unbearable stench. They opt to come back in the night when it is less.

 

Nambugu says the town council should relocate the cemetery to a remote area. She says the council appears unable to maintain a cemetery in a residential area.

 

Nambugu says that apart from the stench, many people are traumatized. She says women and children walk in fear of stumbling upon human remains in their gardens.

 

James Muruli accuses the town council and police authorities of violating the rights of dead to have peaceful rest. Muruli says that they have given town council one week to ensure the dead bodies are buried afresh.

 

Muruli says that otherwise they will pick and dump them at office of the town clerk in protest.

 

This Uganda Radio Network (URN) reporter visited the scene and saw fresh remains that look human littering the cemetary.

 

Umar Ntege, the Nakasongola town clerk, confirmed receiving the complaints. He admits the burials were carried out without the presence of health inspectors and could have been poorly conducted.

 

Recently residents of Luweero town council also threatened to stage protests over cemetery accusing authorities of failure to ensure decent burial and infringement on rights of the dead.