The Lee Funeral Home is one of the few British funeral homes in Kenya that British citizens trust to perform an excellent job preparing their loved ones for their final rites.
The top funeral homes, according to the British High Commission in Nairobi, are two in Mombasa and one in Nairobi.
The Lee Funeral is recommended because the company employs English-speaking personnel, according to the Commission.
Communication is crucial, not just for the British but for anyone in need of assistance when they are mourning.
The Lee Funeral Home is joined by Tonny Funeral Services and Janam Funeral Services, both of which are situated in the United Kingdom and provide many more services that make it a preferred choice for the British.
The homes are on the list because their staff is fluent in the Queen’s language, among other things.
The Business of Death
John Stuart Lee, the founder and CEO of the Lee Funeral Home, founded it in 1987.
Lee claims to have been born, grew and educated in Nairobi in the interview. He claims that after finishing his schooling in Nairobi, he moved to the United Kingdom and joined the police force there.
He was assigned to work in a hospital in Cambridge while working for the police, where he learned how funeral homes operate.
“I was born and educated here in Nairobi and in 1963 my parents and I went back to the UK and then in 1964 I joined the main police force and after a while they put me into Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge to work for the coroner’s office so I was dealing with pathologists and the undertakers every day,” says Lee.
His return to Kenya in 1968 signaled the start of a new era for Kenyan mortuaries, with the City Mortuary serving as the principal facility, which, according to Lee, was in a dismal state.
He says, “When I came back to Kenya in 1968 and was told of the appalling state of City Mortuary, I was then being asked by various people can you help us to set up our funeral because we don’t want to go to City Mortuary ourselves and that’s where I got the idea from.”
Charles Njonjo, who has a penchant for the better things in life, particularly British culture, was essential in the establishment of the Lee Funeral Home.
“Whilst I was working out of City Mortuary and the holding room at Nairobi Hospital before we ever built where we are now at Nairobi Hospital, Sir Charles Njonjo who was then the chairman of Nairobi Hospital called me up and he said, would you like to build a funeral parlour on the grounds of Nairobi Hospital? So we built the current Lee Funeral Home within the grounds of the hospital in 87 and we opened in 1988 during the 25 years celebration of Independence of the Republic of Kenya,” Lee adds.
Funeral Home Charges
Lee Funeral Home, as East Africa’s first funeral home, has grown as the need for its services has increased.
Within Nairobi, the funeral home will charge you anywhere from Sh5,000 to Sh 3,000 each day to fetch the body from your home and store it.
At the funeral parlor, coffins range in price from Sh35,000 to Sh130,000.
The cost of body handling, which includes washing and dressing, is Sh5,000, while transport within Nairobi in a Jaguar hearse costs at least Sh130,000.
Other fees are determined by the needs and desires of persons requesting funeral services.
According to these packages, the wealthy can still afford to spend without breaking the bank.
According to these packages, the rich and powerful can still afford to splurge the amounts because they are pocket change.
But for the man who manages the Lee Funeral Home, his mission is to provide a live funeral home to the grieving, providing first-class quality care and caring for the departed until cremation or interment.
“Yes. And generally, look after the bereaved family. That’s what we’re there for,” concludes Lee.
