Kikuyu creator Mbote Njogu opens up about past job of transporting corpses to mortuaries
Kikuyu content creator Mbote Njogu has revealed that he once made a living transporting dead bodies to mortuaries while simultaneously beginning his journey into content creation.
Speaking in an interview shared by Tony Mwirigi on Friday, May 22, 2026, Mbote explained that he used to be called whenever someone died at home to transport the body from the scene to the mortuary, a job he says required mental strength and emotional discipline due to its nature.
You might also like
“So I started doing content creation while still doing the job of transporting dead people. If a person died at home, their family would call me to drive the body to the mortuary,” Mbote said.
He noted that his transition into content creation happened during the same period, shortly after the rise of TikTok, which he began exploring slowly while still working in his day-to-day transport job.
According to him, there were moments when he would complete assignments transporting bodies and then use the waiting time to shoot casual videos as he tried to build an online presence.
“I remember while I was doing that job, that’s when TikTok had emerged, and I started doing content slowly. So you would find that maybe I had transported bodies to a place, and then I would wait for them to finish the process, and as I waited, that’s when I was doing random videos,” he shared.
Mbote clarified that despite his work involving transporting the deceased, he never filmed or created any content involving bodies inside the vehicle, emphasising that he maintained respect for the dignity of the deceased throughout his work.
“But I have never done any videos with dead bodies in the car. When you are carrying a dead body, you cannot even keep turning to check,” he said.
Memorable experience
He also recalled a particularly memorable experience while transporting a body from Narok, describing the job as one that required emotional toughness and focus.
He explained that during such assignments, he had to remain composed and avoid distractions, as the responsibility demanded full attention.
“I remember I once carried a body from Narok, and that job of transporting a corpse requires you to keep giving yourself strength,” he shared.
The creator further described how, upon arriving at mortuaries, families would often already be dealing with grief while handling preparations, including the use of body bags or blankets, depending on instructions given at the facility.
He noted that such moments were often emotionally heavy, especially due to the strong smells and atmosphere associated with mortuary environments.
“When we arrived at the mortuary, it was smelling so bad that I did not even turn. The body was placed in the boot, and I was also with the deceased person’s family members in the car. That mortuary had a very bad smell. Sometimes families come prepared with body bags, but at the mortuary they are advised not to use them and instead wrap the body in a blanket, which is why the smell becomes strong,” he recalled.
Mbote said that in some cases, the condition of mortuaries and the handling of bodies in rural and upcountry areas made the experience even more intense, requiring those in his line of work to develop resilience in order to cope.
“On arrival, I avoided turning because of the smell. I could even transport bodies alone. Even upcountry in villages, it is the same, when someone dies, who takes the body to the mortuary? It is people like us who used to do that job,” Mbote said.
Author
Steve Ireri
Steve is a senior writer with over four years of experience in digital journalism. His focus is on the showbiz and human interest stories. Emails: [email protected] , [email protected]
View all posts by Steve Ireri
