Nyota Fund helps Eldoret mum build coffin business

Sharon Chebet at work in her coffin shop in Eldoret

A 29-year-old Eldoret single mother of two has transformed a small coffin business into a growing enterprise after investing Sh22,000 from the Nyota Fund to expand her operations.

Sharon Chebet attracted attention during the recent second-phase Nyota Fund disbursement in Eldoret after telling Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen how she had used the money.

Called upon to share her experience, she said she added the funds to her savings and bought five coffins, laying the foundation for expanding Horizon Funeral Services.

"I used the money to add to my savings and expand my coffin business, which is earning me a living," Chebet said.

There was laughter and surprise as Chebet shared her experience, but Murkomen later acknowledged that she was doing important work by helping ensure the deceased receive decent send-offs.

After the event, Chebet said she found herself in the spotlight in a way she never expected.

Her story went viral, attracting numerous calls and visits to her business near River Sosiani on the Eldoret-Kisumu Road.

Chebet said she has been overwhelmed by enquiries, with many people now seeking funeral services from her.

However, the sudden attention has also brought challenges, as she lacks the capacity to handle the growing number of clients seeking her services.

Last year, while stressed and searching for a job in Eldoret town, Chebet passed through the Sosiani River area, which has several coffin-selling shops.

She approached some women outside the shops and told them she was looking for employment.

One of the women offered her a job as a coffin seller, paying her Sh2,000 per week regardless of the number of coffins she marketed and sold.

"I was stressed and had no job, yet I had two children and my mother to support. I needed some money, even if only to help me put food on the table," she said.

She accepted the offer and continued marketing and selling coffins for her employer while saving part of what she earned.

When she heard about the Nyota Fund, she applied and successfully received the first disbursement.

She added the money to her savings and expanded Horizon Funeral Services, which she had started a few months earlier.

Chebet said since sharing her story at the event held at Eldoret Sports Club last week, she has been overwhelmed by enquiries and is now seeking support to run a full-scale funeral services business.

"Death is a very unfortunate occurrence in our lives, but it has to happen, as it will to all of us," she said.

"We all need funeral services at some point in our lives and, while I am alive, I desire to offer the best to those grieving." 

Chebet currently has two or three smaller coffins in her shop but said she has recently received clients seeking executive services, including expensive coffins, hearses, lowering gear and other funeral services.

"I don't have all these services. Even though the Nyota Fund helped me expand on a small scale, I wish I could get support to provide everything my clients want in terms of funeral services," she said.

Chebet said she is now forced to source some services from established dealers to meet clients' needs, but this reduces her earnings because she operates as a broker.

"I wish I had my own hearse and all the other related services so that I can serve my clients well," she said.

Her decision to venture into the coffin business has not been without challenges.

Chebet comes from the Kalenjin community, where, she says, many people still view such a trade as taboo and against cultural beliefs and customs.

She said being a woman in the business has also exposed her to stigma and rejection from relatives and friends, who have urged her to quit and look for another job.

"Many have even blocked my mobile line and others have kept away from me. They do not want to associate with me at all just because they believe my business is taboo," she said.

But Chebet said she will not be discouraged by cultural beliefs that do not reflect the realities of life.

"None of those discouraging me has come forward to give me an alternative job. Furthermore, few people helped when my family and I went hungry. I would have died and the same people would simply have turned up for my funeral," she said.

Her father died when she was still young, and she was told that villagers cut down a tree at their home and made a coffin in which he was buried.

"That story of how my dad was buried saddened me but also gave me the passion to remain in this business and help other people get decent send-offs," she said.

Chebet said she initially had bad dreams about coffins and death when she started the job, but with time she became accustomed to the work and now does her best to remain strong while serving her clients.

"Sometimes people come for my services and just the sight of a coffin makes them break down and cry. I am also human and, during such times, I have to console my clients while remaining strong enough to serve them," she said.

Chebet said she often becomes overwhelmed by grief but believes death is God's will and something everyone must eventually face.

She is sensitising her family and friends to accept there is nothing wrong with her business and she is not alone in the industry.

"With time, I know they will understand me. In the meantime, as long as God keeps me alive, I will remain focused and pray that I get support to expand my business," she said.

Chebet said her business has even scared away some potential suitors, but she remains hopeful that the future will be brighter.

She was born in Nandi county but is now a resident of Eldoret.

ALL-Sharon Chebet during work in her coffin shop in Eldoret