Monday March 10, 2025
By Ali Abdi Hussein
A view of the Bar Alen cemetery in Kismayo, located near expanding residential areas. The cemetery's close proximity to the city raises concerns about urban planning and the need for a designated burial site outside the town.
Kismayo is developing and flourishing in unexpected ways. Once a small town, it has expanded into areas never intended for residential use, let alone graveyards. Bar Alen, the sole recognized graveyard today, is located between the town and the airport—an entrance designed to welcome visitors rather than serve as a cemetery for the deceased.
Does the district administration have a strategy? What are Mayor Omar Abdullahi Faraweyne and his team thinking? In a rapidly growing community, how can they justify burying people in Bar Alen in 2025? Given that their backyard is becoming a cemetery, how can the neighbors of these graveyards sleep at night?
“We see funeral processions passing by our houses every day, and it is deeply unsettling,” said Mohamed Abdi (not his real name), a homeowner whose house is just a few meters from Bar Alen. “Although we honor our deceased, this is not the proper way to design a city. Kismayo is expanding, and a long-term solution is required,” he added.
A well-planned city considers the dignity of both the living and the dead. Kismayo today has roads, cars, and other forms of transportation. While no one suggests we disrespect the dead by offering a good sendoff, a practical solution would be establishing a proper cemetery 15 to 20 kilometers outside the town.
Many cities in Somalia have designated cemeteries located far from residential areas.
“When we were young, no one imagined the town would stretch to Bar Alen,” said Habiba Ali, a resident of Kismayo. “It was far away. Now, it is in the center of everything. How long until it is surrounded by houses? We cannot continue to bury our deceased in areas where the city is growing,” she said.
It is not only rational but also essential to fence off Bar Alen and preserve it while utilizing the nearby ridges for commercial endeavors. Those gently sloped hills could be excellent sites for business development, farming, or even parks. When a new cemetery can be built elsewhere, why waste such valuable land when some people struggle to find a place to live near the city?
“Bar Alen cemetery is in a strategic location, and instead of letting it be swallowed by the city, we should repurpose the land,” highlighted a local Kismayo business owner. “The local government needs to act now to clean up this mess before it's too late.”
Kismayo’s population is increasing every day. If action is not taken now, the city will eventually have cemeteries scattered across residential neighborhoods—an outcome that is not only unsettling but also impractical. The district government must take responsibility and plan for the future.
So, what is the strategy, Mayor Omar Abdullahi Faraweyne? Will the local government step up and build a city that strikes a balance between tradition and modernity, or will Kismayo’s growth continue without any consideration for urban planning? The people of Kismayo seek answers and action to make their city a well-planned and beautiful place and relocate Bar Alen cemetery to a distant location.
Ali Abdi Hussein is a concerned community member and resident of Kismayo, passionate about the city's development and urban planning.