Meet Kenyan man who earns a living from attending funerals

At our lush green Mombasa Road offices park, he rolls on the ground, screams and walks aimlessly like a person possessed by a strange spirit. 

Wailing uncontrollably, he holds onto the branch of a tree, loudly praising the dearly departed.

Meet aspiring professional mourner Daniel Ochieng Ongwara

In the natural order of things, the death of someone you know throws you off balance with shock and pain.

On the other hand, if the dearly-departed was a distant acquaintance, you may empathise and feel sorry for the family that has been left behind but you will not be affected to a point of wailing and screaming.

But, with Ochieng’s virtuoso performance, anyone attending a funeral will be fooled into thinking the kinky-haired lad is one of the bereft. Talk of wailing louder than the bereaved. 

The young man from Migori County puts food on the table from attending funerals and grieving with the family and friends of the deceased if not more than them.



MEET DANIEL OCHIENG A PROFESSIONAL MOURNER IN ACTION