Obutu Anyona lost his dad in 1998, when he was just 13 years and in class seven, as any normal teenager he knew that putting their dad’s photo among the obituaries in a newspaper did cost money, they gave up.
16 years later, moved by the Westgate Attack deaths, Anyona has launched Lovefied.com an online obituary and memorial site so as just about everyone can honor a lost loved one. He told TechMoran that it’s painful to see a loved one go, even more painful not to afford an obituary, his platform therefore aims to be the go-to place for everyone who feels they need not pay for expensive print obituaries which last for just a short while.
“Things are getting online, so are services, people need not spend anymore on newspapers which do not reach everyone. With Lovefied users can set up an account quickly, launch a profile for their lost loved ones and add photos, eulogies and condolences, he told TechMoran.
“Apart from just being an online obituary site, Lovefied also has a service providers section for insurance companies, funeral homes, flower providers and transport companies to advertise their services and connect with those that need them,” he added.
Though he has just launched it in Kenya, the BSC Software Engineering graduate from Kenyatta University says the platform is accessible world over. He says he aims to charge users to post obituries on the site but the charges won’t be as high as they are in print. The platform is expected to be the cheapest, permanent way to share memories with family and friends from anywhere in the world.
Lovefied has a forever premium package and an annual package where users pay for the profiles of loved ones to be online for just one year. The site’s sections include Obituary section, Transport Arrangements section, Upcoming Memorials, Upcoming Celebrations, Support Module – for fundraising, Photo Gallery and a yet to be launched Candles, Timeline, Music, Video section.
Anyona says creating a profile on lovefied.com will cost a user between Ksh 3,999.00 and Kshs 6,999.00 for the Annual and Premium Package respectively or daily packages of between Shs10 or 20/day by paying via Mpesa, Airtel Money, Yu Cash, Equity Bank Eazzy247, Co-Op Bank Mobile Banking, Visa, MasterCard and PayPal.
