Double pain for Nairobi residents as Sakaja seeks increase in post-mortem, cremation fees
Nairobi residents will pay more to preserve and dispose of their loved ones if the Nairobi County Finance Bill 2023 is passed.
The Bill sets out an ambitious set of measures to enable the county government to raise Sh19.9 billion this financial year.
Also read: YouTube millions! Eve Mungai’s boyfriend Trevor reveals earnings
Gengetone star X-Ray pays tribute to producer Byron Kivisi
In the Bill, Governor Johnson Sakaja’s administration proposes to reduce, increase, and introduce new fees for some services that are currently provided free of charge.
Under the Environment and Public Health Department, the county government is proposing to increase fees for embalming bodies at the City Mortuary.
Residents will pay Sh3,000 for adults and Sh2,500 for children and infants.
This is an increase from the Sh2,500 and Sh2,000 charged for embalming adults and children respectively.
The Bill also proposes the introduction of charges for conducting post-mortem examinations on bodies during weekdays, whereas the services are currently provided free of charge.
The county government will start charging Sh5,000 for adults, Sh3,000 for children, and Sh1,500 for infants whose bodies are post-mortem examined at the city mortuary.
The Bill also seeks to increase cremation fees at Lang’ata Crematorium.
The body of an adult will be charged Sh20,000, up from Sh16,800, while those of children will be charged Sh16,000, up from Sh15,800. The cremation of an infant’s body will increase from Sh12,800 to Sh14,000.
City residents will also start paying for tests at Level 4 hospital laboratories if the Bill is approved by the county assembly.
In April 2023, Sakaja said his government had embarked on plans to revamp the City Mortuary and public cemeteries.
In a statement through social media, the county boss said the revamp had commenced, adding it was time to “restoring dignity to the departed”.