Meet ‘Senge’, a popular midwife aged 86

It is 7.30am on a Monday when I meet Marion Nakhumicha Ndamwe, popularly known as ‘Senge’. She is seated on the floor alongside her grandchild enjoying a cup of tea. A middle-aged pregnant woman joins her.

“Young man, have a cup of tea; the lady, unfortunately, cannot eat anything before I handle her,” Senge tells me.
She then embarks on massaging her customer for 20 minutes.

Senge, an 86-year-old resident of Mawingo Road village in Kapenguria, West Pokot County, is still pursuing her career of helping pregnant women deliver their bundles of joy safely.

Despite looking frail, the traditional midwife says she is still energetic enough to give care to pregnant mothers. She started this work when there were no dispensaries in her village.

Senge says she got the name Senge (aunt in Luhya language) because she had many nieces and nephews who used to refer to her as such; hence it became a common name.

The Class Four dropout with no formal training has done the job for more than 60 years.

“I started this job in 1963. I have never been defeated or had any complicated pregnancy. No mother has ever come here and her child died. Health workers send expectant mothers who develop complications here,” she says.

Her unique skills, which she says are godsend, enable her to work with dedication and without fear.

“God brought this job through a dream. I saved a child whose pregnant mother was in excruciating labour pains for 15 hours, in the Bondeni area of Kitale. The child was in a bad position and everyone was worried. I was still young and people were surprised,” she says.

Senge attends to about 15 pregnant women daily, with at least four of them giving birth.

“Any mother who wants my service should visit at 7am before eating anything. She can only take tea but not food. Some of them are referrals by people who know me well. I massage and advise them to visit local health facilities when necessary,” she says.

Also read: Traditional midwives turn to champions for safe births

The granny can also determine the size and position of a child, hence tell the day a mother will give birth.
“During the massaging process, I can tell the sex, size and the position of the baby in the womb, and even detect any complications. When the placenta lies on the left hand side, the child is a girl and if it lies on the right, it is a boy,” she explains.

Senge charges Sh100-300 for her services.

“Women visit me when they are five months pregnant. I massage them with oil and bare hands for better outcome. I don’t wear gloves. My customers come from as far as Machakos, Nairobi, Kangundo and even Uganda,” she says.

Ms Nakhumicha, who inherited the skill from her great-grandmother, says she will continue with the job, although she is currently training her granddaughter to inherit her expertise.

Despite all these achievements, Senge is a sad and disillusioned woman after all her eight biological children died.

“Five died while young, but three died in this house when they were grown men. I find solace in my grandchildren,” she says.

Many West Pokot residents are full of praise for the popular granny.

Mercy Waweru, a resident of the Bendera area of Kapenguria, says she has known Senge for 10 years.

“She helped me during my first pregnancy. I would get tired and unable to walk. She told me the baby I was carrying was a girl and indeed I gave birth to one who is now in Grade Four.

“I am currently eight months pregnant, and she has been massaging me every month. I started visiting her at five months. Any mother with complications should visit Senge,” Mercy says.

Reliable

She explains that they prefer traditional midwives because they are reliable. “Health workers only check and leave you there,” she says.

Rael Akazile, a resident of the Simotwo area and a mother of five, says she has been receiving services from traditional midwives.

In addition to strengthening their skills, Rael believes the exchange of knowledge and experiences between traditional birth attendants and healthcare personnel, is key to achieve greater coordination and expand the implementation of safe and culturally sensitive interventions that contribute to reducing maternal deaths.

She says traditional midwives have helped them.

“They help a great deal when the hospital is far away and a mother is about to deliver. We trust traditional midwives, but they need to have gloves and a razor blade. We are not against health workers, but traditional midwives are very important in rural areas,” she adds.

Rael admits to having given birth with the help of a traditional midwife.

“I have five children and my first born was through a traditional midwife. I have been massaged many times,” she says.

In these areas, where geographical barriers and culture hinder access to healthcare centres, the practical and spiritual support of traditional midwives makes the difference between life and death.

Some women resort to seeing the midwives at home because going to a health facility is costly. However, due to the rising number of diseases and other pregnancy-related complications, midwives are now not allowed to assist pregnant women in labour, and are required to refer them to health centres.

A gynaecologist at Kapenguria County Referral Hospital, Job Wanjala, says traditional midwives are still important and they have requisite knowledge and skills that would be critical in the event an emergency occurs in villages.

“Since time immemorial, women have believed in them. They help a lot. When the mother and child are at risk, midwives can assess and do referrals,” he says.

He says they have been empowering them and giving them basics and training, and the move has helped reduce the mortality rate of mothers and babies.

“It comes without notice. We encourage them to do referrals. We call them level one referral points. You can’t put them off,” he says.

Senge confirms that she was trained at Kapenguria County Referral Hospital to boost her skills in midwifery. “I was trained in 2014, but I did not pick my certificate,” she says.

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