Nairobi Mum of 2 Opens up on Applying Make-up to Dead Bodies, Reveals Pay: "Sikuwa Na Otherwise"
- With tears rolling down her cheeks, a young mum painfully narrated her experience working in a morgue
- She had no choice but to work there, as she needed money for her struggling family back home, and there was no one else to help them
- The Form Two dropout disclosed how much she earned after working in the mortuary, money that transformed her life
A young lady who was born in Mombasa but raised in Dandora Phase 3, Nairobi county, has narrated her experience working in a mortuary.
Source: Youtube
Hadija Yahiya was forced to work in a morgue after being bailed out by a friend, as she needed to provide for her family.
She had been arrested for selling substance while trying to care for her family, following the death of her brother, who had been their breadwinner.
Her brother had left them in a desperate situation after he was shot dead while also working to feed his family.
How much was Hadija's bail?
“My friend, whom I was selling substance to, bailed me out after I spent two days in the police station. The cash bail was KSh 10,000. She was my last hope, as I had no other friend or relative. She asked me if I was willing to do any work as long as it didn’t involve killing people, and I said I was ready and willing. She expressed doubt whether I was really ready, but I told her I was. She told me to look for her the following day,” Hadija said.
The next day, Hadija prepared herself and went to her friend’s house. Upon arrival, she found her friend arranging some makeup items. She had two bags.
“She told me we were going somewhere to meet a friend, then we would start work. She gave me one bag, and we set off,” Hadija recalled.
After a long trip, they arrived at a mortuary, but Hadija had been lied to that they were only going to meet someone briefly.
How much was Hadija earning per body?
Her friend greeted the staff like she had known them for a while, asking if there were any clients, leaving Hadija confused and stranded.
“We entered a room, and three bodies lay on the beds. My friend pointed at them and told me that was our work. We were to apply makeup on the dead bodies until they looked presentable. She told me, ‘When you look at them, don’t see dead bodies, see your problems: how your family is suffering, how you have no food, your mum is sick, and your rent is due.’
I could hardly bring myself to do it, but I had to. For every body I worked on, I was paid KSh 5,000. I did two bodies that day and earned KSh 10,000. I gave her KSh 5,000 because I owed her for bailing me out. She told me to pay her the rest later,” Hadija recalled.
Hadija recalls strange moments working in mortuary
That became her job despite not liking it. She added that, at first, it was traumatizing, but she had no other option.
She recounted bizarre experiences where they would receive fresh bodies, and at times the deceased would appear to stretch out their hands and touch them.
“You were not supposed to scream or react because the others were used to it. It was a very difficult environment to work in. Sometimes I couldn’t sleep. Other times I would find myself just scared. I was even afraid of being near my kids because the work had affected my mind,” she shared, adding that she worked in the mortuary for two years before quitting.
Source: Facebook
How did Ann Mwangangi handle decaying bodies
In another story, beautiful mortician Ann Mwangangi shared how she handled decaying bodies.
Ann narrated experiences where she would find the head and body separated due to decomposition.
She told Hannah Bentah during a TikTok live session that she had been taught how to handle such cases.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
