I Saved Ksh160K in 2 Years, Then This Cultural Tradition Wiped It Out 

At 28, I thought I was finally getting ahead financially. I work as a communications officer at the Bungoma County Government, earning about Ksh70,000 a month. For two years, I had been saving consistently, and by May 2025, I had accumulated Ksh120,000.

I was not saving for luxury. My goal was to raise Ksh400,000 and buy videography equipment so that I could start a side hustle alongside my county job. I had already mapped out the cameras, lenses, and editing equipment I wanted to buy.

Then life happened. My grandfather died after struggling with mental health challenges. His death shocked our entire family and immediately thrust us into the difficult process of organising a funeral.

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My parents and uncles are farmers and small business owners in the village. In our extended family, the only people with stable jobs were my elder brother and me. He is 31 years old and works as a clinical officer at a private hospital in Bungoma County.

Almost automatically, responsibility shifted to us. The funeral budget came to approximately Ksh400,000. Fortunately, neighbours, church members, local friends, and relatives came together to support us. Through cash contributions and donations, mostly foodstuffs, they helped raise about Ksh220,000.

That support reduced the burden significantly, but we still faced a shortfall of Ksh180,000. As the eldest employed grandchildren, my brother and I were expected to fill the gap.

There was pressure from every direction. Family members believed that because we had formal jobs, we had money sitting in our accounts.

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The reality was very different.

After discussing it, my brother and I agreed to split the remaining budget equally. That meant each of us had to contribute Ksh90,000. I withdrew the money from my savings.

Watching over half of my savings disappear in a single transaction was painful, but I wanted my grandfather to receive a dignified send-off. At the time, I thought that would be the end of my financial contribution.

Unfortunately, the worst was yet to come. On the day of the burial, chaos erupted.

A group of locals stormed the funeral and accused my grandmother of having a hand in my grandfather's death. What started as shouting quickly turned violent.

My grandmother was assaulted. Guests ran for safety. Food was overturned. The atmosphere became so tense that we were forced to proceed with the burial hurriedly because of security concerns.

Given the controversy surrounding my grandfather's death, there was always a risk of tensions boiling over, something that had happened at other funerals in the area before.

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In the confusion, property hired for the event was damaged.

The following day, the tent and chair providers came looking for compensation. After assessing the losses, they informed us that 25 plastic chairs had been broken during the attack.

The bill came to Ksh20,000. Once again, all eyes turned to my brother and me. As the eldest employed cousins, we felt obligated to resolve the issue. We split the cost and paid for the damaged seats.

Just when we thought the financial demands were over, another expense emerged. Three of our relatives had been injured during the attack. One suffered a broken leg, while two others sustained various injuries while trying to escape.

Their treatment costs came to approximately Ksh18,000. Again, my brother and I shared the bill.

By the time the funeral was truly behind us, I was left with Ksh10,000. The experience forced me to postpone my side hustle plans completely.

Today, I am rebuilding my savings from scratch. My target remains the same: Ksh400,000 for videography equipment. The journey is taking longer than I expected.