St. Mary’s Village Home for the Aged, under the Catholic Church in Kirinyaga County, has reported break-ins at the cemetery, with suspects getting away with crosses.
The suspects are reportedly plucking crosses from the graves of elderly women who have been buried at the cemetery, leaving the graves unmarked.
The St. Mary’s Village Home for Aged Women is a facility that provides care for elderly women from across the nation.
If an individual passes away at the facility, and the family does not claim the body, it is buried in the cemetery.
“They have made off with over 40 crosses during the period they have been doing it. After realizing that people are stealing, we cemented the crosses around the statue of Jesus Christ, but we realized that they are also stealing them,” Frederick Kabui, a staff member at the institution said.
Frederick mentioned that they suspect that the crosses bearing the names of deceased individuals are being sold as scrap metal, as they are made of metal.
“We think that they are selling them as scrap metals because they cannot use them on other graves,” he said.
Speaking to the press at the cemetery, Kabui said there are plans to start using crosses made with concrete in a bid to discourage theft in the future.
“We are considering making crosses using concrete. Although they are expensive, we believe we can achieve this with the assistance of a well-wisher who can help us financially,” he said.
The church has condemned the actions, urging the perpetrators to cease their immoral behaviour.
“We do not know who is stealing them, but we urge those involved to stop this habit because it is not profitable. Maybe they sell a cross for about 20 or 30 shillings,” Sister Theresia Maliakkal, the Sister in charge of the facility said.
