Filinda Kamau standing in front of the Egerton University Funeral Home building in Nakuru county, Kenya. Photo : Owen Konzolo, bird story agency

26 years old and passionate about changing public perceptions of her profession, Filinda Wakuthi Kamau initially comes across as your regular TikTok influencer. That’s until you realise what her account, which has over 500,000 followers, is all about.

Kamau has a licence from the Kenyan Egerton University Funeral Home as an embalmer and funeral director and is one of a new generation of young morticians taking over TikTok with their informative videos seeking to dispel common myths about morticians.

“I think the misconception most people have is that it’s dark, scary, and doom all the time, when it’s the opposite. It’s to be of service to people. It is to make the grief lighter. It is not to make things heavier,” Kamau shared.

The member of the Morticians and Allied Professionals Association of Kenya has been working in the field since she was 19 and has prepared countless bodies for bereaved families.

“I can’t recall the actual number, but I have attended to many bodies. There are so many young people out there working as morticians, but I’m the youngest in this facility,” she explained.

Kamau’s role involves preparing the deceased for their funeral. Her daily routine consists of sanitising, cleaning, and sometimes reconstructing lifeless bodies in the event of accidents.

Filinda Kamau getting ready to attend to a grieving family who just brought a casket for their deceased person at the morgue. Photo: Owen Konzolo, bird story agency

After this, she speaks to family members about their preferred traditions and rituals for the last rites.

To deconstruct myths about her job, Kamau uses her TikTok profile, @frimahkuthi, to share her experiences and routines and help people understand the death process better while challenging gender stereotypes associated with women working in morgues. She showcases how a younger generation is changing Africa’s funeral industry using short-form videos.

In most of her TikTok videos, she can be seen wearing white overalls, gloves, and a face mask inside a room where the deceased are kept in cabins.

Kamau finds fulfilment in her job and advises people to respect humanity.