A Kenyan death start-up SafiriSalama has raised Kes12.4 million to digitize Kenya's funeral industry to help bereaved families to grieve in peace.
The money was raised from US Angel Investors, allowing SafiriSalama to unveil Kenya's and Africa's first end-of-life services platform.
SafiriSalama is derived from the Swahili word "Safiri Salama," which translates to "Travel Safe."
The platform offers digital death notices, memorials, and a directory of funeral service providers.
SafiriSalama Chief Executive Officer(CEO) John Nyongesa stated that Africans tend to avoid discussing death or end-of-life planning.
In addition, he claimed that ignorance makes individuals open to exploitation since they are uninformed and distressed when a loved one dies.
The end-of-life industry has seen significant growth in recent years and is estimated to be worth Kes56 billion annually in Kenya.
However, the industry needs a clearer and user-friendly system for bereaved families, leading to issues such as inconsistent pricing, unclear industry standards, and difficulty distinguishing between competitors.
Additionally, Nyongesa added that the end-of-life industry in Kenya remains untapped mainly despite the Country's reputation for high levels of technology usage, such as internet penetration, smartphone access, and e-commerce growth.
"In this "state of flux," bereaved families are hugely disadvantaged. "You can buy a toothpick online but can't track a coffin seller," Nyongesa said.
The Redbook, a B2B & B2C product and online service directory that links verified service providers in the funeral and grieving business with families, is one of the platform's three digital offerings.
Steve Lelei, an actuarial scientist, and Edith Orwako, a project manager, joined Nyongesa as co-founders in 2021.
The COVID-19 lockdown in the nation, which prohibited customary committee meetings to organize funerals, changed the game.
The three saw the necessity for a tech-based solution to enable information management and planning due to the roughly 85% fall in national newspaper readership and the rise in online news consumption.
Among the platform's three digital products is "The Redbook", a B2B & B2C product and service online directory that connects verified service providers in the funeral and grief industry with families.
The Redbook developed death notices and memorials.
Death notices enable the creation of affordable and user-controlled digital death announcements that can be shared across multiple social media platforms.
