The funeral industry in Kenya has in recent years grown into a booming business as individuals and companies cash in on the sector amid hefty spending by family and friends.
Families are presently willing to spend more on funerals than it was before, with investors from various sectors including insurance companies, hospitality, media houses, and burial services ready to collect this extra cash.
Among the investors cashing from the funeral business is Benjamin Kibiku, the founder of Montezuma Monalisa Funeral Home, one of the popular mortuaries in the country.
Kibiku started the business after quitting his job as a marketer for the AIG insurance company in Nairobi.
With a vision of starting a modern world-class morgue, Kibiku approached a co-operative society group where he took a loan of Sh70,000.
Alongside his savings, he used the funds to acquire an old pick-up, which he repaired and converted into a hearse. Despite facing a lot of stigma from friends and locals, he soldiered on to build his business.
“I lost a lot of friends during that period but that didn’t bother me much. Getting a driver and parking space was also a big challenge. No one wanted to be associated with the job. I tried the space at my rented house but the landlord rejected the idea. Finally, I talked to a garage owner who agreed,” Kibiku revealed during a past interview with Business Daily.
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He started a hearse business even though it didn’t peak as expected despite investing heavily in newspaper advertising.
The business started to blossom when he adopted a different marketing strategy, including attending burial meetings to secretly market his business.
He would pretend to know the deceased, then volunteer to offer his hearse for free, but ensured the driver carried fliers to market his company at the burial site.
The idea was successful and they began receiving bookings of the hearse. He began making some good money which he used to buy another second-hand van and started the coffin-making business.
After building a customer base, Kibiku quit his job at AIG in 1992 to fully focus on his business. He started constructing small units of the morgue using his savings alongside loans.
He later acquired a prime land along Raila Odinga Way near Mbagathi in Nairobi, where he set up the ultra-modern present-day Montezuma Monalisa Funeral Home.
The construction of the facility commenced in 2004, and it took him around 5 years to complete.
The facility has grown to become one of the popular funeral homes in the country. The funeral home has a capacity of holding 100 bodies, charging Sh2,000 per day.
Currently, Montezuma Monalisa Funeral Home has 3 branches in Nairobi, Murang’a and Machakos counties.
