Kinshasa: the decommissioning of a cemetery follows a procedure designed to respect the deceased (Head of the Environment Division)

Kinshasa, January 28^th, 2026 (CPA).- The decommissioning of a cemetery follows a strict administrative procedure to preserve respect due to the deceased, the Head of the Environment Division in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, has indicated on Wednesday to CPA in response to the subdivision of cemeteries. « A cemetery can only be converted into a housing development after it has been legally decommissioned, which normally occurs after 50 years. The decommissioning of a cemetery follows a strict administrative procedure, involving health, environmental and legal considerations, in order to preserve public health and respect for the deceased, » has declared Fiance Kambe, head of the Environment Division of the city of Kinshasa. ‘However, in Kinsuka, burials have been only stopped a few years ago. The Kinsuka cemetery has been divided into plots and there are already plots on site, but it was the traditional chiefs who have carried out the subdivision and sale, even though the site has never been officially decommissioned,’ he has indicated. Mr Kambe has pointed out that decommissioning a cemetery involves a long process, including the transfer of mortal remains, which is essential for the health and safety of the population. For his part, Didier Mafwanikisa, head of the burial service in Kinshasa, has indicated that with regard to the closure of Congolese State cemeteries, ‘there is no formal decree ordering the closure of the Gombe cemetery’. ‘The Gombe cemetery has been informally closed since the clashes between Jean-Pierre Bemba and Joseph Kabila, because the area had become a no-go zone, but no official administrative decision has ever been taken,’ he has said. ‘The Congolese State had 11 cemeteries in Kinshasa, which should in principle be closed, but to date only those in Kinsuka and Mikonga are (…), while nine others continue to receive burials,’ he has concluded. ACP/