The Namibia Economist

Formal financing for Kaoko undertaker

She used to sell apples and onions at the Katutura Single Quarters, then she tried running a small shebeen, now Uaakoje Annaky Mukuma owns a flourishing undertaking business called U.A. Katembaa Funerals in Opuwo, financed by the Development Bank.
After years eking out a living from the small, informal enterprises that she was able to launch and sustain, she finally found security in a permanent job as a general employee as an undertaker.  She learned the trade and honed her skills, in five years. When the owner offered her the opportunity to purchase the business, she rose to the occasion.   Mukuma says she did her preparation in Windhoek. “Covering taxi fees and feeding myself was very hard and I would not have made it without the support of the people who assisted me through those long months. I used to walk from Rocky Crest to town to get quotations and to gather the equipment I would need for the business. I can say though, that in the end it was all worth it.  “With the loan, I bought the business from my former boss, got two new vehicles, and bought a few office accessories.” She renamed the business U.A. Katembaa Funerals, but retained its primary focus of providing funeral services in Opuwo and surrounding areas.  The business also offers coffins, caskets and other funeral accessories.

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