4,000 Witchdoctors Fight for Recognition as Health Care Providers

Thousands of witch doctors are petitioning the government to formally recognise them as health workers and formalise their practice.

The over 4,000 witch doctors drawn largely from Kilifi have urged the government to issue them with certificates that grant them permission and insurance to conduct their activities without reprimand.

The traditional healers argued that their practice carries a great cultural significance, adding that it was the standard medical practice before the advent of modern healthcare.

“We urge all levels of government—county and national—to pay attention to matters of traditions and customs of our culture. Traditional forms of healing and medicine did not start today, they have been there since time immemorial. Our traditions form a big part of our nation’s heritage,” stated Tsuma Nzai, senior member of the Kaya Council of Elders.

“We aim to provide healthcare that is accessible to all Kenyans. This is why we reiterate our call to be recognised as certified healthcare providers,” he added.

The witch doctors particularly pleaded with President William Ruto to heed their plea, lauding him for his recognition of the culture in Kenya. 

“To the president, we applaud you for your role in promoting the traditions and customs of Kenyan communities. To that end, we urge you to take a forward role in this matter and ensure we get certified for our work,” Nzau claimed.

Further, the shamans pointed to the solid influence of traditional methods of healing in other African countries and the cohesion the practice enjoys with modern healthcare. 

“In other African countries, natural remedies to healing are a big player in healthcare provision, with trained doctors embracing these customs,” they claimed.

Doctors from the area have joined the sangomas and drummed up support for their demands. The trained doctors noted that the witch doctors provided value in their work and could benefit from training in modern medical methods.

“I support the training and education of witch doctors. I support doctors and traditional healers working closely together so that the shamans can be informed about the signs and symptoms of diseases. We have traditional midwives who are involved in childbirth, so why not have traditional healers?” Josiah Kassim, a doctor, posited.

The doctors went ahead to give an example of how traditional healers can be trained to handle diseases like epilepsy. “The healers can be educated on first aid on how to handle seizures and ailments such as epilepsy. The traditional healers can be trained on the signs, symptoms, and procedures of how to treat different forms of epilepsy,” they added.