Firm builds lively business in sending off the dead

Yogi Berra, a former American baseball player once said: “Always go to other people’s funerals, otherwise they won’t come to yours”.
In Kenya, this saying particularly rings true in Nyanza and Western provinces where funerals are elaborate and accompanied with cultural pomp— at exorbitant costs. “Quiet and simple” burial ceremonies are rare.

This desire to give friends and relatives “proper send-offs” has opened new business opportunities as burial committees are replaced with professional planners. Funerals are trying times when the family is under duress and may not be able to handle the details, including feeding the mourners.

Eunice Kitata is the manager of Euphrace Events and Catering and she is among players who are making a killing from arranging funerals. The Business Daily caught up with the young mother of three who shared her story of success and how the inspiration to quit her job and start a business with her meagre savings came from the most unlikely and morbid source.

“Five years ago I thought I had everything I could possibly want out of life,” she says. “I had just completed my CPA course at Strathmore University and secured an accounting job at a successful large scale commercial farm in western Kenya.”

Ms Kitata loved her new job for it was what she was trained for and at the time there were a lot of layoffs in the market. She could not complain.

“But in the back of my mind I knew I could push myself to do more in a different setting and given the right circumstances and that is when I started toying with the idea of starting my own business.”

She was, however, not sure about she wanted to do. She had only been working for three years and had not made enough savings to start her yet-to- be-identified enterprise.

“A few months later a member of our church died and I was among the people tasked with making the funeral arrangements,” she says.

“We had a hectic time getting the caterers and provisions to cater to the guests who came from all over the country.”

But this rather taxing responsibility gave Eunice the idea for her venture. “In most parts of Nyanza and Western Province, funerals are a big deal and many consider the final send-off to be a statement of love and respect for the departed,” she says.

“There are numerous arrangements to be made and the bereaved family is often not in a position to handle all the logistics. That’s where event managers come in.”

Lack of professional caterers and event managers also make funerals expensive for clients who are forced to outsource the services from providers in Nairobi.

Ms Kitata soon registered Eufrance Events and Catering and immediately started looking for potential clients from her friends and church members.

“I started small since capital was scarce and my friends became my first clients”, Ms Kitata says. “I approached them and spread the word that I had started a catering business and could help with the funeral logistics at very affordable fee.”

Most funeral arrangements were then being made by committees and women groups which proved expensive because of the members had to be compensated.

Besides, committees were prone to wrangles and leadership squabbles that often led to delays and more expenses for the bereaved family, says Ms Kitata. She stepped in and soon her client list began to grow.

“Most of my clients had dealt with committees before and the bad experiences made them eager to sign me up. Having one person in charge ensures efficiency and accountability.

As her business grew she reached out to city dwellers and Kenyans in the diaspora who had little time and help on the ground to organise burials for their kin.

Today Euphance draws an average net income of Sh500,000 a month and has employed 15 permanent staff.

In addition , being her own boss means Ms Kitata can schedule her working hours to allow her time to spend with her husband and children.

“I used to work from eight to five and it was quite demanding. I rarely had enough time to help my children with their homework or sit around and chat with my husband. This is in addition to the usual stress that accompanies an accounting job”.

But her new job also comes with its challenges.

Major challenge

“The major challenge is that in this line of business you have to appreciate the culture of your clients. If they want a bull slaughtered at a certain time, or meat from the hump, you have to comply.

This, however becomes a logistical nightmare when these instructions come at the last minute as is often the case.

There are even rules on whom to serve first. It could be the in-laws, the guests or the bereaved family”.

Ms. Kitata, however, believes such challenges make her line of business more interesting and gives her a reason to love her job even more.

She has since included planning and catering for weddings and corporate events into her portfolio and is currently expanding her business to other parts of western Kenya.