Inside the business of selling burial spaces in Tanzanian graveyards

Dar es Salaam is home to several graveyards, each with its own history and atmosphere.

From the historic Kinondoni Cemetery to the Mwananyamala Cemetery, Kondo Cemetery, and many others; these final resting places hold a significant place in the hearts of the city's residents.

However, with limited spaces and a growing population, the demand for burial sites has become increasingly competitive.

The selling of burial sites in Dar es Salaam graveyards is a complex and intricate process that involves a combination of tradition, culture, and economics.

Families looking to bury their loved ones must navigate a maze of prices, regulations, and customs to secure a plot in their desired location.

The process can be emotionally challenging for many, as they must balance their grief with the practicalities of securing a suitable final resting place.

Kiwango Kassimu, 72, a resident of Kinondoni Mkwajuni says that in 2021, when he lost his eldest son, Justin Kiwango (43), he decided to bury him in the Kinondoni cemetery, popularly known as the Kinondoni VIP cemetery.

"I was told by one of my friends that there are better services there," he reveals.

He says that when he sent a representative to make arrangements, he was informed that all funeral arrangements would cost him Sh3 million.

"I wanted to build a good grave so that it wouldn't be dug up in the years to come as that was what I was avoiding from public cemeteries. I accepted because that amount of money was affordable, paid it, and my issue was resolved as I wanted," he shares.

He adds: "What matters to me is that any family member, whether in recent years or even many years to come, will be able to go and see his grave and not be told 'they were buried there,' but they can’t see his grave."

On her part, Ms Rehema Richard, 49, Mwenge resident says it has been five months since she buried her husband in Kondo cemeteries, Richard Rafael on September 4, 2023.

She claims that the procedure for selling burial plots is dominated by greed, and unscrupulous people who exploit it to their advantage.

"I was aware that the amount of money I should pay was Sh1.8 million, but when I sent my brother to help me with the processes, he was told that to get a better burial site, he should pay an additional Sh150,000. Because we were in need, we agreed to give them that money so that we could proceed as we wanted," she says.

On his part, Mr Deusdedit Simba, 67, a resident of Ubungo, says that the service procedure at the Kinondoni cemeteries is not good because there is deception about where your loved one is going to be buried.

"They told me my brother would be buried in a place where no one had ever been buried before, but they were lying to get money. When I paid, at the time of the burial, I asked why the grave was short? They told me there was no area where no one had been buried in those cemeteries, and that I was asking for something that didn't exist in Dar es Salaam," he explains.

He adds: "A grave is not a house where it's okay for people to share, especially those who are not relatives or didn't know each other in their lifetime. To bury them in one place, even if at different times, is unfair to them and their families as well."

On the other hand, one of the longtime residents near the Kondo cemeteries, Mzee Shabani Shabani reveals that the Kondo Cemetery was not initially designated as a burial ground but was a privately-owned, undeveloped area whose real owners were not known at the time.

At the end of 1998, the government converted the area into a cemetery because the areas that had been designated for burials, Mburahati and Kigogo, had been invaded by water flowing from the Msimbazi River, resulting in some corpses being exhumed.

As a result, the government decided to hand over the bodies to the deceased's relatives to bury them in the Kondo cemetery.

"The relatives of the deceased used to go there, they were given money, and they would take the remains of their loved ones and bury them at night in those areas," he reveals.

He adds that some remains were buried in the Ununio cemetery and others in the Kisarawe district of Pwani region.

He says that before, there was no practice of selling burial sites, but after sometime in the early 2000s, the local governments started doing so.

"In the past, even the burial method required following a line to ensure proper arrangement of the graves, but due to greed, the local governments, in collaboration with grave diggers, started listening to various relatives of the deceased about where their loved ones should be buried because they were being given money by those relatives," he shares.

He continues: "That is what has disrupted the burial arrangements in the city. Greed has caused this problem to arise prematurely."

However, he says the idea of having specific people for digging graves was very good at the beginning because it simplified the burial process.

"It changed into a bad idea due to turning that important service for the community into a business, prioritising money over human dignity," he says.

He adds: "Now, it's your money that determines whether your relative is buried in the shade, under trees (grave diggers call it ‘the Air-conditioned area’) or in the sun, meaning an area without trees."

On the other hand, the leader of the gravediggers and grave contractors in the Kinondoni cemeteries, known by the single name, Mr Mangosongo, reveals that the regular burial cost, meaning digging a grave and burying a deceased one without construction of the grave, is Sh400,000. Digging and constructing a regular grave costs Sh1.8 million, while digging and constructing a marble grave ranges from 2.3 million to 2.8 million shillings at the Kinondoni VIP cemeteries.

He says that in the early 2000s, during the leadership of the late President Benjamin Mkapa, there was a system of booking burial spaces that cost only Sh1,500. However, this procedure was later discontinued towards the end of 2003.

"They did this because there was no valid reason to reserve an area for someone and wait for them to die to use that space, while people were dying every day and needed to use that area. That's why the procedure was changed so that when you have a bereavement, you come to our office, you pay according to what you need, and then you are allowed to proceed with other funeral arrangements," he explains.

However, the procedure for burying in Dar es Salaam cemeteries involves obtaining a burial permit from the deceased's local government. This permit costs Sh15,000. After obtaining the permit, you make a copy and submit it to the gravediggers or the street’s chairperson help you with the submission of the copy and assigns the diggers to prepare the grave for burying the deceased.

"The neighborhood chairpersons also inform us about their residents who have passed away or been bereaved, and thus we assess the availability of space for their burials," he says.

He further reveals that these costs are paid at the small offices located in the cemeteries, and after payment, the process of digging and constructing the grave continues.

Among the gravediggers and tomb builders at the Kondo cemetery, Mr Jaffari Humphrey says their job is to execute what they are told by their management at the cemetery.

"Our management, once they agree with the client, direct us on when we should start working, according to the client's needs. So even when we meet the client, what we discuss with them is what exactly they want because the price agreements and payments have already been made in the office, and burial permits are available," he says.

However, the chairperson of Tupendane Street in Manzese Ward, Dar es Salaam; Mr Abilay Pazzi comments that usually, a citizen is required to pay only Sh15,000 for a burial permit, and those who are known to be unable to afford these costs are exempted.

"The unavoidable costs include paying the gravediggers," he reveals.

He continues that other costs such as constructing a grave stone or buying a space for the burial of a deceased, are additional services that are connected to the financial capacity of the parties involved.

He continues: "If a family decides to bury the loved one in a paid area, it means they can afford to bear the costs that come with having their loved one buried there."