African presidents are known to live large when they are in power. Their presidency is characterised with moving in motorcades of up to 10 cars, having mansions in the countryside, private presidential jets, among others while the biggest part of the population is suffocating in poverty.
If you thought this kind of luxury stops when these leaders die, think again. These presidents are afforded some of the most luxurious of state funerals and their burial sites are usually a thing of beauty.
Matooke Republic has dug deep (pun not intended) and brought you the luxury burial sites of some African presidents whose souls, by the look of these sites, are surely resting in peace.
Bingu Mutharika
Former President for Malawi Bingu Mutharika died in April 2012 and was buried on his farm next to his wife who had passed on earlier in 2007. By the time of his death, it is reported that he had $83 million (About Shs305bn) in offshore accounts.
Dr Levy Mwanawasa
Dr Levy Patrick Mwanawasa was the third President of Zambia, and he died in office in 2008. Mwanawasa was buried at the Presidential Mausoleum in the capital Lusaka.
Laurent-Désiré Kabila
Lauent Kabila was Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) President from 1997 until his assassination by his bodyguard in 2001. The tomb of Laurent Kabila is located in Kinshasa, DRC.
It is a great structure being held by four wrists that are in chains. This symbolism is ironic, given the history of the Congo, and its story of King Leopold’s hunt of rubber. Nearby, the statue of Kabila stands, in which he is shown to be raising a finger to the sky, and holding a book in the other hand.
Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana
The Kwame Nkrumah mausoleum is located in downtown Accra, the capital of Ghana. The mausoleum, designed by Don Arthur, houses the bodies of Kwame Nkrumah and his wife Fathia Nkrumah.
The building is meant to represent an upside down sword, which in Akan culture is a symbol of peace. The mausoleum is clad from top to bottom with Italian marble, with a black star at its apex to symbolize unity.
The interior boasts marble flooring and a mini mastaba looking marble grave marker, surrounded by river-washed rocks. A skylight at the top in the mausoleum illuminates the grave. The mausoleum is surrounded by water, a symbol of life.
Mzee Jomo Kenyatta
Jomo Kenyatta was Kenya’s first President and the country holds him in the highest regard possible, even more than 40 years after his death. He was burried just besides the parliament in Nairobi.
His tomb is guarded by Kenya Defence Forces and is rarely opened on any other day, making it among the few in the world which are not accessible to civilians.
However, any Kenyan can visit it provided they write a letter to the Secretary of the Parliamentary Service Commission stating their intentions.
The 34 square feet Kenyatta mausoleum was designed by George Vamos, a famous Israeli architect.
Mobutu Sese Seko
Mobutu was one of the greatest African dictators that ruled Zaire (present day DRC) from 1965 until he was toppled by Laurent Kabira.
During his rule, Sese Seko was one of the most extravagant presidents ever, but he died of cancer while in exile in Morocco. His remains have never been repartriated and he lies in a cemetary in Morocco.
Palm trees stand guard before Mobutu’s black-and-white marble grave with its iron grill door and cross on top. No name, photo or epitaph can be seen.
Sir Edward Mutesa II
Sir Edward muteesa II was the first president of Uganda who took power after independence in 1962. Mutesa was also a reigning King of Buganda and after his death in 1969, he was buried at the Royal Tombs in Kasubi, Kampala.