Domestic, personal and funeral services
Households want help with cooking, driving and home care, and every family eventually needs funeral services. These are respected, steady businesses when run with dignity and honesty.
What these methods share
- Trust: references, clear prices and respectful service matter more than marketing.
- Dignity: funeral work especially needs patience, discretion and fair prices for grieving families.
- Rules: some services need licences or county approvals; check before you start.
806. Private chef and home cooking service
What it is: Cooking meals in clients' homes: weekly meal prep, dinners, small parties. How it works: Plan menu → shop or use client's ingredients → cook → clean up.
| Skills | Cooking, hygiene, menu planning |
| Cost & equipment | Knives and basic kit; transport |
| Where to find work | Busy families, expatriates, small events |
| Payment | Per session or monthly |
| Realistic earnings | Low to medium |
| Time to first income | Weeks |
How to start: Cook for friends' events; take food photos; get a food handler's medical certificate. Pros: Flexible. Cons & risks: Client expectations vary. Scam warning: Agree payment before shopping with your own money. Kenya notes: Busy professionals and expatriate families in towns hire private cooks.
807. Designated driver and chauffeur on demand
What it is: Driving clients home in their own car after events, or chauffeuring for the day. How it works: Booking → meet client → drive their car safely → paid per trip or hour.
| Skills | Safe driving, valid licence, good conduct |
| Cost & equipment | Valid licence; certificate of good conduct helps |
| Where to find work | Event-goers, busy executives, families, hotels |
| Payment | Per trip or hour |
| Realistic earnings | Low to medium |
| Time to first income | Days |
How to start: Get a certificate of good conduct; advertise to clubs, hotels and event planners. Pros: Low start-up. Cons & risks: Late nights; insurance questions. Scam warning: Check the client's car insurance covers another driver. Kenya notes: Helps people avoid drink-driving, which NTSA and police crack down on.
808. Domestic worker recruitment bureau (registered)
What it is: Matching households with vetted house managers, nannies and cooks. How it works: Register → vet workers → match → follow up.
| Skills | Recruitment, vetting, fairness |
| Cost & equipment | Office or online setup; registration |
| Where to find work | Households |
| Payment | Placement fees from employers |
| Realistic earnings | Medium |
| Time to first income | Months |
How to start: Register as a private employment agency with the National Employment Authority; write fair contracts. Pros: Steady demand. Cons & risks: Disputes between employers and workers. Scam warning: Never charge workers illegal fees or hold their IDs; follow labour law and minimum wage rules. Kenya notes: Agencies must follow Kenyan labour laws, including fair pay and written terms.
809. Ironing and wardrobe care service
What it is: Collecting, ironing, folding and delivering clothes, or ironing at clients' homes. How it works: Pick-up → iron → deliver, or home visits.
| Skills | Ironing, care labels |
| Cost & equipment | Iron, board, steamer |
| Where to find work | Busy professionals, students, families |
| Payment | Per piece or basket |
| Realistic earnings | Low |
| Time to first income | Days |
How to start: Start with neighbours; offer weekly pick-up. Pros: Very low start-up. Cons & risks: Low price per item. Scam warning: Agree what happens if an item gets damaged. Kenya notes: Pairs well with laundry pick-up (method 304).
810. Casket and coffin making
What it is: Making caskets and coffins in different woods, finishes and price ranges. How it works: Order → make → finish → deliver to the family or funeral home.
| Skills | Carpentry, finishing |
| Cost & equipment | Workshop tools, timber |
| Where to find work | Funeral homes, families, hospitals |
| Payment | Per piece |
| Realistic earnings | Low to medium |
| Time to first income | Weeks |
How to start: Make a few designs; partner with funeral homes and hospitals. Pros: Constant demand. Cons & risks: Timber costs; emotional customers. Scam warning: Be honest about materials and prices; never pressure grieving families. Kenya notes: Offer affordable options as well as premium ones.
811. Headstone and grave marker making
What it is: Making and engraving headstones, crosses and grave markers in stone, terrazzo or metal. How it works: Order → design → cast or cut → engrave → install.
| Skills | Masonry or stone work, engraving |
| Cost & equipment | Tools, moulds or cutting equipment |
| Where to find work | Families, churches, cemeteries |
| Payment | Per piece |
| Realistic earnings | Low to medium |
| Time to first income | Weeks to months |
How to start: Learn from a stone worker; show samples and designs. Pros: Lasting work. Cons & risks: Heavy; transport to rural homes. Scam warning: Check spellings and dates carefully with the family. Kenya notes: Families often install headstones months after the burial, so demand continues all year.
812. Hearse and funeral transport hire
What it is: Providing a hearse and transport for mourners to the burial. How it works: Booking → collect from mortuary → transport → return.
| Skills | Driving, respectful conduct |
| Cost & equipment | Vehicle (owned or partnership), insurance, PSV rules for passengers |
| Where to find work | Families, funeral homes, churches |
| Payment | Per trip or distance |
| Realistic earnings | Medium |
| Time to first income | Months |
How to start: Partner with funeral homes; get correct licences and insurance. Pros: Steady demand. Cons & risks: Vehicle costs; long rural trips. Scam warning: Quote fuel and distance clearly upfront. Kenya notes: Long journeys to rural homes for burial are common in Kenya.
813. Funeral home and mortuary services (licensed)
What it is: Caring for the deceased, preparation, storage and arranging the funeral with the family. How it works: Receive body → preparation and storage → coordinate funeral.
| Skills | Mortuary science or training, compassion |
| Cost & equipment | Very high: facility, refrigeration, licences and public health approvals |
| Where to find work | Families, hospitals |
| Payment | Service fees |
| Realistic earnings | Medium to high |
| Time to first income | Months to years |
How to start: Train in mortuary services and work in one first; get county and public health approvals. Pros: Essential service. Cons & risks: High capital; strict regulation. Scam warning: Transparent pricing protects families from overcharging. Kenya notes: Public health and county regulations apply.
814. Cemetery and grave maintenance
What it is: Cleaning, painting and maintaining graves and family plots, especially for relatives who live far away. How it works: Agreement → regular visits → photo updates.
| Skills | Gardening, masonry repairs, reliability |
| Cost & equipment | Basic tools |
| Where to find work | Diaspora families, urban families with rural graves |
| Payment | Per visit or yearly fee |
| Realistic earnings | Low |
| Time to first income | Days |
How to start: Offer photo updates via WhatsApp; start in your home area. Pros: Low cost; meaningful. Cons & risks: Small market. Scam warning: Send photo proof of every visit. Kenya notes: Pairs well with diaspora family concierge services (method 758).
815. Funeral and medical harambee coordination
What it is: Helping families organise fundraising for funerals or hospital bills: committees, contributions and transparent records. How it works: Set up a contribution channel in the family's name → track and share updates → report.
| Skills | Organisation, record keeping, honesty |
| Cost & equipment | Phone, spreadsheet |
| Where to find work | Families, churches, workplaces, chamas |
| Payment | Agreed fee |
| Realistic earnings | Low |
| Time to first income | Days |
How to start: Offer clear records and regular statements; never hold funds in your own name. Pros: Helps families in crisis. Cons & risks: Sensitive; disputes over money. Scam warning: Contributions should go to an account the family controls, with open records. Kenya notes: Harambees are a strong Kenyan tradition; transparency builds trust.
816. Memorial videos and tribute slideshows
What it is: Making tribute videos, slideshows and photo books for funerals and memorials. How it works: Collect photos → edit → music with permission → deliver for the service.
| Skills | Video editing, sensitivity |
| Cost & equipment | Computer, editing software |
| Where to find work | Families, churches |
| Payment | Per project |
| Realistic earnings | Low to medium |
| Time to first income | Days |
How to start: Make a sample; partner with funeral planners. Pros: Quick turnaround. Cons & risks: Tight deadlines. Scam warning: Use licensed or royalty-free music. Kenya notes: Often requested for funerals and memorials.
Summary
- Domestic and personal services include private chefs, designated drivers, registered domestic worker bureaus and ironing services.
- Funeral services include caskets, headstones, hearse hire, licensed funeral homes, grave maintenance, harambee coordination and tribute videos.
- Treat clients with dignity, price fairly and follow labour, licensing and public health rules.
Check yourself
Which authority registers private employment agencies in Kenya? (three words: National ___ Authority)
Show answer
employment
Should harambee contributions go to your own personal account? (yes or no)
Show answer
no
For tribute videos, what kind of music should you use? (one word: ___ or royalty-free)
Show answer
licensed