•Narrating some of the challenges he faced in the early days, Wanjohi stated that some days they would not wash the corpses.
•In those early days, mortuary attendants grappled with the harsh truth that they lacked even the most fundamental items, such as gloves
Image: LEAH MUKANGAI
In 1993, David Wanjohi stepped into the sombre halls of City Mortuary now renamed Nairobi Funeral Home, ready to embark on a career that would test his resilience and compassion.
Little did he know that the path he chose would be a journey marked by both bitter challenges and sweet victories.
"I first came to city mortuary in 1993 as a mortuary attendant, then promoted to an assistant funeral superintendent then to senior funeral superintendent in 2004," Wanjohi said in an interview with the Star.
Haunting reality
As the head of City Mortuary, Wanjohi found himself thrust into a realm where the lack of basic essentials was a haunting reality.
In those early days, mortuary attendants grappled with the harsh truth that they lacked even the most fundamental items, such as gloves and personal protective equipment (PPE) kits, essential for the delicate nature of their work.
"Nilipo ajiriwa, kufanya kazi huku ilikuwa mbaya. Tulikuwa tunafanya kazi bila vifaa. Kama nikuingia ndani ,tulikuwa na nguo za nyumbani, viatu na hakuna gloves," Wanjohi said
This translates to: When I started working here the conditions were bad. We used to work without PPEs. If it was going to the morgue, we used to go while wearing home clothes and no gloves on.
Narrating some of the challenges he faced in the early days, Wanjohi stated that some days they would not wash the corpses.
"At times we never used to wash the bodies and we even lacked the medicine we used on the dead to preserve them. So you can imagine the stench," he said.
Salary delay was also a big challenge to the point where the morgue workers staged protests.
The mortuary staff strike frustrated bereaved families' efforts to collect the remains of their dead.
Unbearable
The tragedy of losing a loved one is unbearable and what any bereaved family requires is sympathy. It is, therefore, bizarre in the extreme to find a situation where the bereaved are denied a chance to send off their dead.
" In the 1990s working at the morgue was bad. Those who were in charge tried to change things but it was impossible," Wanjohi said
“Free water flow was a problem here. No renovation was done and the structures and equipment that existed when the mortuary was built in 1958 still remained in use,” Wanjohi added.
Image: LEAH MUKANGAI
The good days
Looking down the memories, Wanjohi said that it has been a journey and things started improving when the late Nairobi Town Clerk John Gakuo came into office.
"We started enjoying the fruits of our labour where we even had our salaries paid on time. This was shortly before the kanjo era ended."
Wanjohi said that slowly the face of the morgue started to change and at the moment under the leadership of Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja, the city morgue has had a new face.
How I deal with grief
In his line of duty, the Head of City Mortuary says he finds solace when he sees a grieving family has come to peace.
“ I lost my parents and I know the pain that people go through. Mayne when I was a mortuary attendant I didn’t see it as a big deal but I know what one feels,” Wanjohi said.
Wanjohi said he doesn’t like making it difficult for the grieving family who are coming to terms with the loss of their loved ones.
As a result, he urges the mortuary attendants to counsel the grieving family members who come to the morgue.
“ I usually tell the staff to be gentle and always treat the grieved families with compassion. They need to ensure that they get some closure,” Wanjohi added.
My mortuary, my home
Not known to many, all the years Wanjohi has been working at the facility which was still his home compound
"Yes, the head of City Mortuary used to live with his family in the same compound which hosts dead bodies."
" Behind the morgue, there are houses for staff and up to date some of these morticians and workers live there. It used to be my home until I moved out in 2021," Wanjohi said.
"I have raised my family in this same compound you see here today,"
He said that his family was used to using the same gate that brought in the corpse in the facility to go to school and other errands.
However, one day he narrated how his son who was younger then came across a coffin that had a dead body awaiting to be collected.
Wanjohi's son was playing within the compound and as young boys are known to be curious he walked to the side where bodies are collected for burial.
"My son came back to my wife and me and said he saw a man who was sleeping in a box and he tried to wake him up but he was still sleeping," he told the Star.
Still the best
Despite the challenges encountered and competition from other morgues, Wanjohi believes Nairobi Funeral Home ( City Mortuary) still offers the best services and will never run out of business.
He said that due to the good work they do, other morgues seek their services up to date.
“We can never close or run out of business. This is the only morgue where road accident victims' bodies are bought before relatives identify them," Wanjohi said.
"Once brought here, we convince the family that we offer the best morgue services and can preserve the bodies for them."
Image: LEAH MUKANGAI