WhatsApp group now a last-expense insurance for bereaved members

A social media welfare group formed to support members during bereavement has turned out to be a source of relief during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The government directive that interment must be conducted within 72 hours is worsening the financial burden to grieving families, who are no longer able to reach out to friends for support owing to time constraints and an existing ban on social gatherings. 

Over the years, it has become the norm to hold fund-raising meetings, something that is no longer tenable due to fear of spreading coronavirus.

Additionally, Kenyans are facing hard economic times occasioned by job losses, restriction of movement and closure of businesses, hence creating a new social media forum upon bereavement may not achieve the intended goal. 

In Nanyuki town, Laikipia County, a WhatsApp group has attracted more than 1,000 members in the past one year. Ironically, the members are strangers from diverse social, religious and economic backgrounds. They include casual labourers, greengrocers (mama mbogas), hawkers, teachers, doctors, civil servants, lawyers, elected leaders and sitting MPs; all united by a common fact of life – that death is inevitable. 

The group named Laikipia Online Family has been on an upward trajectory since early last year but recorded a remarkable growth in terms of membership this year, a development linked to the prevailing fear and uncertainty during the pandemic. 

Each of the 1,124 members contributes Sh230 once a colleague is bereaved with this insurance-like scheme expanded to cover funeral expenses for the contributor, spouse plus their children and both parents (in-laws).  All contributions are forwarded to the affected member with a small percentage deducted for administrative purposes. 

From an initial disbursement of Sh12,000 in the group’s formative stages, the figure has risen steadily, with a member currently entitled to receive Sh200,000 upon the demise of a close relative.  

Between June last year and mid-April, a total of Sh7,691,000 had been disbursed.

“When death strikes, it’s a double tragedy, what with grieving and unplanned expenses that call for teamwork. We formed the group to ease the financial burden and move away from the practice of appealing for support from friends, most of whom cannot be relied upon due to several factors,” explains the chairman of the online group, Mr Sammy Ndung’u.  

Governed by 10 rules

Mr Ndung’u heads a committee of five that is charged with administrative work, including verification of reported cases, at times travelling to far-off places before and during the burial to verify every reported demise of a member’s relative to guard against fraud.

“The majority of our members hail from or work in Laikipia County, but their parents or children are spread across the country. I remember early last year we had to travel to Siaya County to conduct due diligence on a reported case,” he says.

The group is governed by 10 rules; one of them is mandatory contribution within two days after confirmation and announcement of the death of a member’s close relative. Failure to remit the contribution thrice via the group’s Safaricom till number leads to expulsion, regardless of the duration one has been active.

“After each case, we publish the names of the members, their contribution and the total amount disbursed to a beneficiary. This sense of accountability and transparency is the secret behind the trust we have earned even from prominent people including political leaders,” says Mr Ndungú, adding that political or any other messages are banned and only condolence messages are entertained.

One of the recent beneficiaries is Ms Elizabeth Mwihaki, who lost both parents in two weeks. She received Sh190,000 twice (a total of Sh380,000), which helped lighten the financial burden on the family’s shoulders. 

“My mother died from suspected Covid-19 complications only three days after the burial of our dad.  With the government’s edict that burial must take place within three days, you can imagine the financial burden we were staring at were it not for this online welfare group,” says Ms Mwihaki.

She joined the group by referral, when membership was half the current figure. Back then, they would only be called to contribute once or twice a month. 

The contributions are now up to six times a month, a fact she attributes to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

“Mine is a good example of the consequences of failing to observe the Ministry of

Health protocols on curbing the spread of coronavirus. At least seven relatives who attended my dad’s burial in Mukungugu village, Nakuru County, were taken ill, displaying Covid-19 like symptoms, including my mother, who later passed on,” she says.

Membership regulations

Mr Martin Wachira, a casual labourer, also received Sh190,000 in April after losing his mother following a short illness.

“I am the firstborn in a single-parent family and my two sisters were looking up to me to lead in the burial preparations and we had to do everything within three days, in line with the government’s directive. Luckily, I have been a committed member of this online welfare group and we didn’t encounter any challenges,” he says.

Mr Wachira says he will continue contributing no matter how long it takes before death strikes his family again.

“Nobody celebrates receiving the Sh200,000 since no life is worth that money. It is, nevertheless, gratifying to know the small contributions we make go a long way to give the much-needed support,” he says.

What are their plans now that the group has hit a disbursement target of Sh200,000?

“We shall not increase that figure beyond this point to reduce the risks of fraud by some people who might turn death into an enterprise if, say, we were to reach Sh500,000. There have been reported cases of people murdering their kin or spouses with the aim of claiming compensation from insurance firms. It is not our desire to head in that direction. Our motive remains to support members meet burial expenses without straining,” says Mr Ndung’u.

Owing to WhatsApp membership regulations, which cap membership at 256, Laikipia Online Family has five groups, but the administrators are in all of them.

The entire membership is only combined in the group’s spread sheet, which is posted in all the five groups after a bereaved member receives the members’ contributions.

The officials say administration work is made easy by the fact that no other form of communication is entertained via WhatsApp and in case of any question or clarification, one can either call directly or send a message to any of the officials. 

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