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African Journal of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines
African Ethnomedicines Network
ISSN: 0189-6016
Vol. 13, No. 3, 2016, pp. 219-229
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Bioline Code: tc16078
Full paper language: English
Document type: Research Article
Document available free of charge
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African Journal of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines, Vol. 13, No. 3, 2016, pp. 219-229
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‘THEY CALL US KILLERS’: AN EXPLORATION OF HERBAL, SPIRITUAL AND WESTERN MEDICAL PRACTICES IN MOMBASA, KENYA
Enumah, Z. O.; Rafiq, Mohamed Y. & Ayele, Wossen
Abstract
Background: This paper attempts to describe the multi-dimensional perceptions of mganga/waganga (Kiswahili: traditional healers)
by members of their constituencies, patients, government health officials and religious leaders in Mombasa, Kenya. It also seeks to
investigate how these conceptions and perceptions influence the relationships between traditional healers and other stakeholders in
the delivery of public healthcare services in Mombasa.
Materials and Methods: A qualitative approach consisting of in-depth interviews and focus group discussions was employed and
43 research participants were interviewed during the period of two months in the summer of 2010. Data were recorded (video and
audio), transcribed, and analyzed using the constant comparison method.
Results: Findings indicate that varied opinions and interpretations of mganga influence both the decision-making process of the
patient and the provision of healthcare by the healer. High tensions exist between mganga and other actors, and furthermore, such
perceptions seem to evidence themselves in the government’s support for waganga, as well as the delineation of healthcare
services—whereby certain stakeholders and participants are relegated to specific tasks.
Conclusions: This research builds upon the growing body of knowledge on how African patients—in general and Kenya in
particular—and healers inhabit a multifaceted arena of healing in order to effectively negotiate their positions and needs to make
complex decisions involving care, contingent upon local economic, social, cultural, and religious factors.
Keywords
traditional healing; complementary medicine; spiritual healing; Kenya
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