Long before the name Umash Funeral Home became associated with funeral services in Kenya, Kamau Njoroge was a young man trying to find his footing after leaving school.
Kamau Njoroge dropped out in Class 7 after his family struggled to raise school fees. He was brought up by a single parent who was unemployed at the time.
With formal education cut short, he enrolled for a carpentry course, beginning a journey that would eventually take him into a business few people around him initially understood.
His first steps into working life came at the National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) in Kangemi, where he worked for three years.
He later joined Christian Industrial College in Pumwani, where he spent another four years before leaving his job to try his hand at business.
Kamau Njoroge Business Journey From furniture to Coffins
Njoroge opened a carpentry workshop and began making furniture.
The workshop, however, would eventually take an unexpected turn.
He ventured into making caskets, a decision that changed the direction of his business but also brought him resistance from people around him.
According to an account of his interview with Citizen TV, Njoroge said some friends and clients walked away after he began making coffins.
The new line of work also began taking over the workshop, pushing furniture production aside.
The business did not take off overnight.
Njoroge recalled selling only one or two caskets a week in the early years. He said it took nearly four years before the business began gaining wider acceptance.
“The coffins were driving the furniture out of the workshop. To be accepted by people takes a long time. I would tell you, before, I was selling one or two caskets a week. It was only after almost four years that things started to change,” he said.
For a man who had already left school because of financial hardship, the setbacks presented another test.
He nevertheless stayed with the idea.
Taking the Business a Step Further
Njoroge eventually obtained a licence to operate a funeral service after spending years developing his business.
In 1987, he established Umash Funeral Home.
His idea was different from the way funeral facilities were commonly viewed at the time.
Njoroge wanted to create a place where families could make funeral arrangements without the fear and discomfort often associated with mortuaries.
The business was designed to offer a more welcoming environment for families dealing with the loss of a loved one.
What had started with furniture and casket-making was now becoming a full funeral service business.
How He Build Umash Funeral
The growth of Umash did not happen immediately.
Njoroge’s own account of the early years shows a businessman trying to convince customers that a funeral service could be run differently.
His entry into casket-making had already cost him some clients, but he continued to develop the idea.
Over time, Umash expanded its services and facilities.
A 2022 profile described the funeral home as having capacity for more than 100 bodies, a chapel for families to hold prayers and an executive section for VIP clients. At the time, the business had branches in Nairobi and Nakuru.
Njoroge had also spoken about plans to expand the business to Mombasa and Kisumu.
On Wednesday, August 26, Umash Funeral Services launched a new facility in Kabati, along the busy Thika-Kenol Highway, bringing professional mortuary and funeral care closer to families in Murang’a and neighboring counties.
“Kenya has evolved. Mortuary science courses are now taught in Kenya, so this is like any other profession. There is nothing unique about our business,” Kamau Njoroge said.
He said the Kabati site was deliberately chosen for its accessibility along the highway corridor.
“We are actually on the right side of the road, so nobody will have to turn to the other side to access the facility. It is really convenient. We also have ample, secure and safe parking, and the service is great,” he added.
Umash Funeral Home services
Over the years, Umash Funeral Home has expanded its services beyond the traditional role of a mortuary, offering families several options when making funeral arrangements.
The funeral home provides body collection services, including removals from hospitals, nursing homes and hospices. It also offers burial services, with families able to choose arrangements based on their individual needs and preferences.
Other services include cremation, hearse and funeral transport services, morgue services, post-mortem examinations and autopsies, and chapel services.
Umash also provides funeral webcasting services, allowing relatives and friends who are unable to attend a funeral in person to take part in the ceremony remotely.
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