Making the dead beautiful is his job
For Chebii Subisiso, making sure that a body looks decent before burial has been his business.
At Chiromo Funeral Parlour, he works to ensure the dead look exactly as their families want.
“Some families request that we unbraid or unweave the body’s hair. In such a case, we must do so before the body is taken for embalming,” Mr Subisiso said.
Having trained at the University of Nairobi’s Human Anatomy Department, he understands changes that take place on a body after organ failure. He says after embalming, unbraiding usually damages the scalp.
For men’s bodies, he has to do the shaving during the last days before collection because the hair tends to grow back again.
“When a body is received and booked in at the reception bay, we take it for reconstruction, depending on how it looks like. Reconstructing is done to ensure the body is in good shape,” he says.
Beautification, which he says is called cosmetology scientifically, is done only according to the family’s specifications.
“Some even request that make up is applied on the body. We do this after the body has been dressed and put in the coffin so as to maintain the make-up,” he said.
Mr Subisiso has been an employee of the Chiromo Mortuary for three years and says he does Cosmetology to increase his earnings. He is paid commission for that.