Nairobi News

Kenyans have had to learn words such as cremation and aquamation in the past week.

This follows the demise of former Attorney General Charles Njonjo who was cremated in Nairobi hours after his death.

And in South Africa, it emerged South African anti-apartheid fighter Desmond Tutu had asked to me aquamated when he passed on.

These developments have had Kenyans talking on social media, with many opting to be interred the traditional way, .

Some argued that burial is not even African, as long time ago, bodies were disposed in the forests.

Here are the mixed reactions from Kenyans on Cremation and Aquamation on Facebook.

Prince Sofari KE wrote, “When I die please bury me next to my father’s grave. Let people eat and celebrate my time I lived in this world. mambo Na kuchomwa Cremation and Aquamation is something I will never think of. People should stick to their culture. We are loosing our culture and embracing new cultural behaviour something that will hunt us one day.”

Shosho Manyaga added, “My question is after cremation where do those ashes go? Personally I’d prefer the Muslim way.. nakufa saa hii by jioni nimezikwa.. I’d want my kids to see my resting place…. unlike kutupwa kwa kichaka.”

Étienne Mbaya posted, “I say no to cremation, what will happen to me if Jesus comes back and find me in ashes?

Tracey Wahu wrote, “I prefer cremation…. This burial rites leaves the family in debts! A whole week you are feeding the villagers and you are paying for the corpse…. Mimi nichomwe Tu hyo story familia yangu imalize wapumzike.”

Goretti Wanjiru said, “It’s about time. I have never understood why people spend so much money on a dead body. I imagine of someone who has died because people couldn’t raise a quarter of the money needed for surgery, but after his death we raise more than what was needed!!! Where’s the wisdom in all this? The easiest, cheapest and quickest method should be used to dispose the dead including burying in the cemetery. I don’t understand why we spend so much money transporting a dead body. It doesn’t make sense to me.”

Terry Lokonga added, “Feel free to do whatever sits right. Those who believe should go the Bible way like God intended, do it. Those who follow latest models of trending ways, choose wisely, that’s my point. But if my close relative dies and am bound to make this kind of decision, al give them a descent actual burial on the same piece of land we lived and grew together.”

Tsonia MuTho Ni posted, “Morgues and burials are not even African. Same day disposals were the way to go. Now, people to choose how to be disposed since we no longer have forests. But let it be the same day.”

Cremation is a process that uses intense heat to turn the remains of a person who has died into ashes.

Aquamation, or alkaline hydrolysis, is a process in which the body of the deceased is immersed for a few hours in a mixture of water and a strong alkali in a pressurized metal cylinder and heated to around 150 degree centigrade. The process leaves behind bone fragments and a neutral liquid called effluent.

A burial is the act or ceremony of putting a dead body into a grave in the ground.