One of Kenya's ancient health facilities

BY JECKONIA OTIENO Coastal Kenya has some of the most unique and ancient antiques that form the core of Kenyan history. One such gem is found in Kaloleni nearly 40km from Mombasa. A few metres from the small township in Kilifi County that got its very first tarmac road just less than two years ago is St Luke’s Hospital. The hospital is not only one of the oldest in Kenya but also the only mission church mission hospital in Coast Province in its entirety. The hospital which is now run by the Anglican Diocese of Mombasa started as a church before its founders started treatment services to alleviate the health problems of the local community. The hospital was started in 1927 by a missionary called Ms Deed, according to 97-year old former chief Lawrence Benet. Benet cannot remember Deed’s second name due to his advanced age but he says that he clearly knows about the hospital and its construction. Deed had arrived in the country in 1884 and lived among the Rabai at Chang’ombe. Together with her were ladies who had been freed from slavery during the anti slavery crusade in the high seas during the 19th century. Deed was a missionary working with the Church Missionary Society (CMS) and St Luke became one of the first hospitals due to the fact that some of the earliest missionaries had their activities concentrated along the Coast – the very first church in Kenya is the Rabai Anglican Church which was constructed by Ludwig Krapf in 1848. Mzee Benet further explains that Deed tried teaching the four gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John - in Rabai but the local community rejected it due to the deeply entrenched cultural beliefs. After ten years in Chang’ombe, Deed moved to Kaloleni in 1904 a period when there was a great famine christened Njaa ya magunia. Being a linguist and having learnt the local languages, Deed found it easy to bond with the locals and this was made easier by the fact that she could play the piano which wowed the locals. She then translated the four gospels into the Giriama language before she started to plant churches all around the area. Some of the churches she set up were at Mwijo, Kirumbi, Mapala, Kangyebamba, Mchekenzi, Chila, Dungicha, Dakacha, Marafa, and Ngombeni among others. It was after this ventures that the building of St Luke’s hospital started and continued for two years; it was then opened. The very first to be built was the chapel which has withstood the test of time in its magnificent ancient architecture and strength. CMS would bring doctors to serve in the church until 1981 when it was handed to the health wing of the Anglican Church which has run its services to date. Among some of the most interesting facts about the hospital is that 1929, the very first two women delivered in the hospital. This was seen as breach of culture by the local people who never believed that a woman can deliver in hospital. According to the retired chief some of the earliest diseases treated at the medical centre were leprosy and tuberculosis. The very first doctor to serve in the hospital was Kenneth W. Allen assisted by a local doctor Shadrack Karisa while the longest serving missionary doctor was Dr David Thomson. Other doctors who served in the hospital are Willis, and Wright but they are not as famous as Thomson who seems to have been a darling of many hearts during his tenure at the hospital. He is reputed to have performed major surgical operations with limited resources hence saving many lives. Also in service during Thomson’s time were Army Sparrows, Dan Merit, Betty Ferre, Milden Hall and Joyce Wood. The hospital has also had the services of non Kenyans from around Eastern Africa like Ssemogerere from Uganda and Hamisi from Sudan. Among some of the rituals that had to be observed was the liturgy which was mandatory to those who were in hospital due to its religious foundation. Some renovations have been carried out but St Luke’s Hospital still remains one of the testimonial installations to the early Christian activity along the east coast of Africa. What is currently the ladies hostel used to be the planning hall. -End-