K24 news anchor Eric Njoka surprised most viewers on Wednesday when the station revealed his side hustle- is working as a mortician at a family-owned mortuary in Kiambu county.
Though it was not the first time Njoka was speaking about his part-time job outside the big screen – having first revealed the same in an interview with People Daily in 2016 – many viewers were shocked that the popular anchor was at ease doing a job that would make many cringe.
Then, he told of how his father, who was opposed to the idea he was interested in being a journalist, offered him Ksh 2,000 a month in 2003 to work in the morgue.
“I was to diligently watch how the attendants prepared the bodies, concentrating as much as I could because I would step in to assist as an extra hand,” he said.
Though he could at times spend one hour contemplating whether to enter the morgue, with time he got used to it mainly because he did not want to make bereaved families feel his uneasiness about preparing their deceased’s bodies.
He began spending his weekends and off times at the morgue much to the shock of those who knew him.
“Seeing the shape in which some of the bodies were in gave me nightmares and left me distraught. But I eventually overcame it. At the end of the day, I had to be at my ‘A’ game and not show the bereaved that I was disgusted or scared of treating their fallen loved ones. Yes I have another career, but I also like being a mortician because I am doing something extraordinary. Not everyone can do it,” he told the newspaper.
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In the K24 interview, he said: “My dream was not to work here. My dream was to become a journalist but my dad did not appreciate that career. He never saw any talent in that.”
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