Meru, Kenya: Joseph Mutuma alias Cameroon is a man at home with
death. Mutuma who operates a small book kiosk near a coffin shop along
Hospital road in Meru town has no qualms even taking his afternoon
siesta in a coffin on display at the shop and he says it feels good when
he has a nap in the coffin.
“People get scared when they see me take a nap inside coffins but
to me it feels good. There is no difference between coffins and beds as
they are all made of timber but in different designs,” he says.
He adds: “Death is nothing to scare me because when one
dies that is the end. The fear that people harbour when things
associated with death like coffins, corpses, undertakers and mortuaries
are around them have never crossed my mind,” said Mutuma.
Asked why he sleeps during the day which drives him to take
naps in coffins, he says he does much of his work up to late hours of
the night and also wakes up very early in the morning.
The work involves watering his farm up to around 12 midnight and milking his cows from around 5am in the morning.
“I prefer taking a nap in a coffin so us not to be disturbed by daylight noises and passersby,” Mutuma says.
Mutuma goes on to say that he does not believe in life
after death but he believes in life when one is alive. He adds that his
wish is that after he passes on his body should be fed to his pigs but
the law cannot allow it.
He further says that in his will, he has indicated that his body organs be donated to a person in need.
“If possible, my corpse should be donated for scientific
research in institutions like universities and big hospitals which lack
cadavers and if not, it should be buried inside a coffin made of carton
and not timber as this is tantamount to degradation of environment by
cutting trees to make a coffin,” he says.
After his siesta in the coffin Mutuma goes for lunch and then
starts chewing miraa which he says helps him to plan his work
elaborately.
He asserts that miraa has no side effects as claimed by some
people for he has chewed the herb since 1984 and up to date it has never
brought him any side effect neither has it lowered his libido.
“After my siesta in the coffin I go for lunch to keep myself busy in my book kiosk as I chew miraa,” he says.
He adds: “I have chewed miraa from1984 and I have never
experienced any side effect. Those saying miraa has side effects are not
genuine. I am married and I have a family. My first-born who is aged 13
is in Class Eight.”
Mutuma is an ardent reader of the Bible. He says that among the
books which he adores most and which he reads repeatedly is the book of
proverbs which he says has wise words on everyday issues.
He says: “The book authored by King Solomon gives one a chance to
think critically on what goes around him or her. It also offers an
insight into one’s immediate environment.”
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