This archive report was first published on 19 July 2020.
July 19, 2020
Pastor Samuel Thairu is a man of God who has found a unique way to serve his community. By day, he works as a mortician at the JM Memorial Ol Kalou Hospital mortuary in Nyandarua County, ensuring that the dead are treated with dignity. By night, he ministers as a pastor at the Kenya Assemblies of God Church in Ol Kalou town, winning souls for heaven.
Thairu, 38, has been working at the mortuary for several years and has found that his job as a mortician is closely related to his work as a pastor. He says that he is able to handle the two jobs with ease because they are connected.
When the Saturday Nation visited him at the hospital, he was inside his office doing some Bible study. “This is what I usually do when I am not working or while waiting for some work to do. The word of God gives me motivation to work and handle my work with ease,” he said as he ushered us inside the morgue.
Thairu said that he was initially afraid of dead bodies, but financial constraints left him with no option. He had to apply for the job at the mortuary department after working as a casual at the Nyahururu County Referral Hospital. He said that he asked God to give him strength to tackle the challenges of handling dead bodies on a daily basis.
Thairu has found that his job as a mortician has also given him the opportunity to console bereaved families. He said that in many cases, there is usually no one to console the families when they come to pick the body for burial. As a man of God, he knew he would comfortably fit in the shoe.
He added that his parents and his family supported him when he took up the job. “When I told them that I was taking up the job, they had no problem with it. To date, they take my job just like any other job. My congregation, too, does not seem to care much about what I do at the mortuary. I interact with them freely without any fear,” he said.
Thairu has also challenged fellow pastors to not only depend on offerings and tithes from their faithful but their own sweat. “Even the word of God clearly states that one should eat from his own sweat. This will kill the narrative that pastors only depend on offerings and tithes from their congregation,” he added.
