Saitoti's grave cost Ksh. 5.5 million

                    Saitoti's burial             Photo:   Courtesy

Marble graves sporting special pieces of art are an expensive affair.

 “The cost of these gravestones is determined by whether they are made of marble or concrete,” Gacaga Mwania says of swanky resting places.

“But even the marble depends on whether it’s blue pearl, black or white marble which is the most expensive”.

While a grave slab made of blue pearl may cost up to Sh450, 000, those made of white marble goes for more than Sh470,000.

Absolute black marble is the cheapest at Sh120,000 while a mixture of marble and concrete sells for between Sh45,000 and Sh65,000.

“Most clients are people burying their relatives in the rural areas, so the costs usually include the fundis transport to the site and accommodation,” explains the gravestone trader. “All the marble and half of the designers in George Saitoti’s grave came from abroad. The cost of the former politician’s grave, minus the mausoleum, was more than Sh5.5 million.”

 

Drinking and womanising

Mwania, whose display epitaph is ingrained with his own photo, says selling designer graves is one of the most lucrative businesses in town, as not many people venture in this sector because of stigma associated with the dead. 

 “Buying terrazzo worth Sh300,000 can give you more than double in profits, with one piece of grave slab plus the headstone taking two to three days to finish.”

The business depends on referrals since they don’t advertise, hence one has to be in the business for long to develop the necessary contacts.

“Sometimes I make around Sh800,000 in a good month since there are no dry seasons except in January and May, where people don’t have a lot money for luxuries on memorials in their relatives graves,” Mwania explains adding that “the tragedy with most people in this business is drinking and womanising. It’s like a cursed trade.”

While he says he has never lost friends, some people chide him in social places by asking him how many dead people he has done business with.

But for Mwania, it is nothing personal - just business.