Madam Kesia Mwanga

A Ugandan midwife and health advocate who established Africa's first rural maternity hospital, reducing maternal mortality rates by 70% in her region.

Madam Kesia Mwanga: Midwife to a Nation

Madam Kesia Mwanga (1905-1975) was a pioneering Ugandan healthcare leader whose work transformed maternal care in rural East Africa. Born in Busia District, she trained as a midwife in Kampala during the 1930s, witnessing the tragic loss of hundreds of mothers due to lack of medical care. In 1941, she used her dowry money to build the Masindi Maternity Home, Uganda's first rural hospital dedicated to childbirth.

Her innovations included introducing antiseptic practices, training local birth attendants, and establishing a mobile clinic system that reached remote villages. By 1950, the hospital had reduced maternal mortality in Masindi region from 1/30 to 1/90 births - a model later adopted across East Africa. She developed the "Kesia Method" of prenatal care, which combined traditional herbal knowledge with modern medicine.

Despite opposition from colonial authorities who doubted her "uneducated" methods, her work gained international recognition. The Kesia Maternity Hospital remains operational today, and her legacy inspired the UNFPA's Midwifery Training Program. The Kesia Award, given annually by the African Union, honors healthcare workers improving maternal care.