Medics build manyatta at health centre to lure pregnant mothers

John Osir (in blue shirt), the PHO in charge of Suguta Health centre explains the importance of the Manyatta in their services to pregnant women from the area. Beside him is Grace Lekupe, Nursing officer in charge at the facility [photo/Standard].

Suguta Valley has for a long time been associated with deaths. It hit the news last year when bandits massacred 42 police officers.

In this remote part of Kenya, roads are practically nonexistent, making movement difficult.

But for pregnant women it is not just lawlessness or poor roads that are most threatening to their dear lives. Here, culture demands that women give birth inside a manyatta, a traditional hut.

While no survey has been done to determine precise maternal and infant mortality rates, according to a Community Nurse at Suguta Marmar Health Centre, Christine Lebenei, many babies die at the hands of traditional midwives.

"This is often blamed on bad omen or the spirits' refusal for the baby to live," she said.

TRADITIONAL WOMAN

"The traditional Samburu woman is not comfortable giving birth in a room that is not a manyatta. They do not identify with modern medicine," says Grace Lekupe, the nurse-in-charge at Suguta Marmar Health Centre.

She said in order to lure women to the health centre, and thereby lower neonatal deaths at the manyattas, the facility resorted to constructing one within its compound.

"Women come into the manyatta to deliver. But at the actual time of birth we move them to the maternity ward where they are handled professionally in case of emergencies such as obstructive birth," Ms. Lekupe said.

She said despite offering free services, the Government operated facility barely receives patients, and even pregnant women, for whom the facility was built, still prefer having their newborns at home.

"It is only here, at this facility, where an expectant woman can be assured of her safety throughout the experience of pregnancy and delivery.

Traditional midwives conduct their trade devoid of modern medicine. They approach birth with a pregnant woman squatting, which is dangerous for the baby in case it slips and hits the floor," the nurse said.

On a Monday morning, Irene Lekelesoi is calm with visible satisfaction. The previous night, she gave the community its newest member - her newborn daughter. Her husband, Peter Lekelesoi is the only man at the maternity ward. But his wife is not the only woman, there are three others. That makes him something of a loner.

"I know that the hospital is a safe place for delivery. That is why I brought my wife to be attended by the nurses who would know what to do. Not many Samburu men fancy modern health facilities," he says.

It is a decision that his wife, Irene, appreciates greatly. Though her face is motionless with no signs of happiness (or lack of it), Irene says that her husband's decision to bring her to the hospital is among the best things he has done for her.

"The first two births happened at home and I did not like the experience. Here, nurses handled me with respect. Furthermore, it did not take too long. I gave birth swiftly with less pain," she said.

Lekelesoi says both times his wife delivered at the manyatta, he was not allowed to be anywhere close to her.

"I am happy that my husband brought me to the ward. I no longer fancy the manyatta. The hospital does not take away all the pain but they make the process bearable and less traumatising," Irene says.

SOLO QUEST

In his seemingly solo quest to embrace modern medicine, unlike many of his peers, Lekelesoi is convinced beyond doubt that he is making the right decision.

"It is only the women who are allowed to be at the manyatta when a baby is delivered. However, here at the clinic I saw my baby as soon as she was born," he said.

Such is the state in Suguta, and virtually the whole of Samburu where with no tarmacked road, the county is largely cut off from the rest of Kenya.

The last two years have seen the facility get connected to the national grid with corporates such as the M-Pesa Foundation, Amref and Safe Care International coming in to provide medicine and equipment.

It is at such an occasion, where the three donated a tuk-tuk that will serve as an ambulance for expectant mothers, that members of the Press got to meet the new parents.

Lekupe told us that the health centre now records an average of 25 births every month, which is a remarkable improvement compared to between five and 10 births experienced a year ago, and the fact that they have not lost a baby during childbirth is also attracting more mothers to seek their services.