The Last Respect

The befitting send-off

By Philip Etyang

The core business of any hospital is patient care. However, in the unfortunate event of death, most people wish the bodies of their dearly departed ones are given a befitting send-off. This process usually begins at the farewell home where the body will be preserved before interment.

Having been established in 1901 as the hospital started, the Kenyatta National Hospital Farewell Home has grown in leaps and bounds changing names along the way.

Newsline spoke to several employees at the funeral home to get a clear perspective of how the facility operationalizes its core business of handling the dead.

“The Kenyatta National Hospital Farewell Home has grown since I joined it three years ago. Most of the staff members were not trained. Today, however, we boast of a 98 percent trained workforce,” an elated Mr. Maina said.

He revealed that the facility has a total of 21 employees, most of whom got certification while already working at the farewell home.

“Those employees who did not have proper certification were sponsored by the Kenyatta National Hospital management, to pursue courses in mortuary science,” Mr. Maina revealed.

A spot check inside the facility by the Newsline team revealed several employees all covered in PPEs and attending to their various duties, which included but were not limited to receiving, releasing, and washing the bodies as well as embalming and conducting post-mortems.

According to Mr. Maina, the emergence of new and modernday morgues that use the latest technologies has not changed the facility’s clientele since the majority of the bodies received at the farewell home are directly coming from the hospital.

In 2020, the facility received an average of 10,000 bodies, a statistic that did not change much in 2021 as the number of received bodies remained the same at 10,000.

“Our costs are very fair and competitive in the market. We have a consolidated package of Ksh.14,000 for the private wing while the general wing is Ksh.4,700. There is also a daily rate of Ksh.470/-. We offer other than the storage of bodies such as embalming, postmortem, fingerprinting and viewing,” Mr. Maina revealed.

On corruption, Mr. Maina insisted on the message that the KNH Farewell Home is a corruption-free zone and that the employees at the facility do not condone corruption practices.

“It is very important that the members of the public are enlightened about the costs of our services. We do not have any other ‘hidden’ charges for our services other than the official services which are receipted,” Mr. Maina said.

PHOTO | STEVE ARWA

The main building of Kenyatta National Hospital Farewell Home. The facility boasts of a fully trained workforce of 21 employees.

“Our costs are very fair and competitive in the market. We have a consolidated package of Ksh.14,000 for the private wing while the general wing is Ksh.4,700. There is also a daily rate of Ksh.470/. We offer other than the storage of bodies such as embalming, postmortem, fingerprinting and viewing,” Mr Maina.

“We do not ask for extra money from what has been receipted. As a department, we do not condone corruption and corruption practices. Donations are at times given but there is no extra charge for dressing or washing of the bodies,” Mr. Maina said.

Mr. Peter Ouma, a senior mortician who has worked at the facility for the last 23 years, however, had a word of caution over the perception of the public about careers in mortuary science.

“This is a career like any other. We are sober people, contrary to the popular belief that 90 percent of morticians are alcoholics,” Mr. Peter Ouma.

“Serving in a farewell home is sensitive. In a general sense, it is like any other medical profession. Morticians and other farewell home employees should be educated and informed individuals. There is a negative perception that all morticians are heavy alcoholics. Having worked in this industry for the last 23 years, I want to assure

you that is a myth!” Mr. Ouma added.

Mr. Maina further noted that not alcoholism is a matter of individual preference. “Taking alcohol is a matter of individual preference and has nothing to do with the career path one takes,” he said.

“This facility started as a mortuary, then it changed to a mausoleum and now finally it is a farewell home,” an elated Mr. Boniface Mugo, another experienced mortician at the facility said.

“We have two sections in this facility. The general wing has a storage capacity of 97 bodies while the private wing has a capacity of 30 bodies,” Mr. Mugo added.

The farewell home was renovated creating room for the private wing which was not there before.

“Our greatest challenge here is probably just capacity. However, I understand plans are underway to expand this facility, and I commend the management for the plans,” concluded Mr. Mugo.

Those employees who did not have proper certification were sponsored by the Kenyatta National Hospital management, to pursue courses in mortuary science “This facility started as a mortuary, then it changed to a mausoleum and now finally it is a farewell home,” - Mr. Boniface Mugo.

Mr. Paul Maina, Acting KNH Farewel Home Manager attending to a client in his office.

PHOTO | STEVE ARWA

Mr. Boniface Mugo - a supervisor attending to a client at KNH farewell home

PHOTO | STEVE ARWA

Mr. Paul Maina, Acting KNH Farewell Home Manager

PHOTO | STEVE ARWA