SafiriSalama.com has launched Kenya’s 1st End-of-Life services platform, aimed at providing an ecosystem that connects players in the Kenyan funeral industry, which is worth an estimated $450 million per year. The Deathcare platform has raised $100,000 from a US angel investor for prototype development and provides a one-stop shop for digital death notices, memorials, and a directory of funeral service providers.
The platform aims to address the gap between the fast growth of the funeral industry and the lack of a connecting thread for bereaved families, and to take advantage of Kenya’s high internet penetration and tech revolution.
For Kenyans in the diaspora, the platform enables;
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- Death Notices controlled by the family/individual creator that can be continuously updated and shared across all major social media platforms
- Memorials controlled by the family/individual that can enable a Noticeboard that updates planning elements (meetings, service, funeral, fundraising), a picture gallery, tribute page
- The Redbook: A directory of direct and indirect funeral service providers, their profile, contacts that can enable diasporeans directly source and pay for services providers to support families in Kenya
Link: https://www.safirisalama.com/
SafiriSalama.com rolls out Kenya’s First End-of-Life Services Platform.
They aim to provide an ecosystem that connects players in the Kenyan funeral
industry whose worth is estimated at USD 450 million (KShs 56 billion).
The Deathcare platform has raised $100,000 (Kshs 12.5 million) from a US angel
investor to complete prototype development.
February 15, 2023, Nairobi, Kenya – SafiriSalama.com™, a Kenya-based death
tech start-up, has launched Kenya’s and Africa’s first end-of-life services platform.
The platform offers digital death notices, memorials, and a directory of funeral
service providers. With this new tool, the Kenyan death tech start-up is reinventing
end-of-life planning, making the unpleasant task of bereavement in all its facets
easier and manageable.
SafiriSalama.com™ which takes its name from the Swahili words “Safiri Salama,”
which translate to “Travel Safe”, is venturing into a territory that few others in Africa
have explored.
“Africans tend to avoid discussions about death or end-of-life planning”, says John
Nyongesa, the Founder and CEO. “This lack of knowledge creates an opportunity for
exploitation, as people are uninformed and emotionally vulnerable when a loved one
passes away.
He opines that when grief and urgent decision making are paired, bereaved families
are disadvantaged.
“Grieving families face difficulty conducting proper research and often “pressure
buy” due to a lack of published prices in the funeral industry.” says Nyongesa
The end-of-life industry in Kenya has seen significant growth in recent years,
estimated to be worth $450 million (KShs 56 billion) annually. However, the
industry lacks a clear and user-friendly system for bereaved families, leading to
issues such as inconsistent pricing, unclear industry standards, and difficulty
distinguishing between competitors.
Despite Kenya’s reputation for high level of technology usage such as internet
penetration, smartphone access, and e-commerce growth, the End-of-Life industry
remains largely untouched by these advancements.
“In this “state of flux” bereaved families are hugely disadvantaged. You can buy a
toothpick online but can’t track a coffin seller?” poses Nyongesa. “That’s ridiculous.”
Among the platform’s 3 digital products is “The Redbook”, a B2B & B2C product and
services online directory that connects verified service providers in the funeral/grief
industry with families.
Vendors struggling with online marketing can find relief in SafiriSalama.com
solution who provide mini websites in “The Redbook” to showcase products, pricing,
stock availability, and be search engine discoverable.”
In 2021, Nyongesa was joined by Steve Lelei, an actuarial scientist and Edith
Orwako, a Project Manager, as co-founders.
The Covid-19 lockdown in Kenya that disallowed traditional committee meetings to
plan for funerals was a game changer. With an almost 85% decline in national
newspaper circulation and the increase of online news consumption, the trio realized
the need for a tech-based solution to provide information management and planning.
The platform developed two products: Death Notices and Memorials. Death
Notices enable the creation of affordable and user controlled digital death
announcements that can be shared across multiple social media platforms
Memorials provide a subscription to a one-stop-shop including a user-friendly
noticeboard for managing a loved one’s funeral process, preserving memories
(galleries, links) and narratives collected through obituaries and eulogies, and
enabling discovery through search engines.
The team emphasizes the importance of allowing individuals and communities to tell
their own stories, rather than having a few select individuals and publications
determine whose stories are worth telling. With the rise of the internet and the
decline of traditional media, individuals now have the power to preserve and share
their own narratives through online platforms like SafiriSalama.com’s Memorials.
“Every life, regardless of status is a story” says Nyongesa, “The internet is an
equalizer.”
Roll Out:
SafiriSalama.com rolled out its beta version in November 2022 and is currently
undergoing a 12-month introduction and consolidation campaign in Kenya before
expanding to other African markets.
Funding;
SafiriSalama.com has raised $100,000 (Kshs 12.5 million) from a US angel
investor for product development. They are now preparing for a pre-seed funding
round to finance marketing, hiring, and product improvements.
Links: https://safirisalama.com/home
Team: https://safirisalama.com/Team-Members
CONTACT:
To learn more about SafiriSalama.com or to arrange an interview for an article,
please contact us.
Media Contact Person: John Nyongesa, Founder/CEO (+254 748 808080)
Company Name: Africa Monument & Legacy Company Ltd
Location: Nairobi, Kenya
Website: https://safirisalama.com/
Email: info@safirisalama.com
Tel: +254 748 808080
Kenyan Death Tech Safiri Salama Secures Ksh.12.5M To Digitise Kenya’s Funeral Industry
