An unidentified young woman in her early 20’s suddenly got into labour pain and gave birth to a baby boy in the middle of an overcrowded market at Kacyiru in the evening of last Friday.
the young woman had been pregnant was leaving the market after buying groceries when suddenly she yelled for help after developing instant labour pain. It was too late to take her to the hospital but delivered her baby amidist an onlooking crowd and helped by good Samaritans and later an ambulance arrived and took her to Kacyiru hospital.
An eye witness Mukarungwa Mariah a fruits and vegetable vendor at the market narrated to IGIHE.com what transpired.
Mukarungwa says she was attending to a customer at her stall in the market when she suddenly heard the young woman screming for help, “I thought the woman had been robbed but only to find her standing by herself in the middle of the road looking terrified. I reached to incquire what had happened. However, she continued calling for help.”
The young woman in labour had dropped all her groceries in the middle of the road. While continuously screaming “help me, help me, my child is coming, help me someone please I can’t move, help me” In a literally a few seconds the terrified girl was surrounded by a circle of curious onlookers.
Another witness at the scene Kayigema Gertuda also a market vendor approached the girl, saw she was already in labour pain, she proceeded to call some gentleman to come help carry the young woman.
Sebishwi Bernard and Mahoro Placid were a few of the good Samaritans whom helped the young mother. They both helped carry the girl to a secure and dust free stall at the market where they placed her on African fabric wrappers (kitenge) that women contributed to cushion on the floor.
Sebishwi a witness at the scene said that he has seen the young woman often but does not know her name.He also noted that she is young, “everything happened so fast, I had wanted to call the police but the women said it was already too late and we must carry her to somewhere clean and out of the public view.”
Mahoro is a housemaid, he was buying groceries when the incident happened, he said he agreed to help because he sympathised with the young woman,“what if that were to have happened to my mother, I would hope someone would help her as I have done.”
Mahoro was tasked to run to the hospital and get help, while the women stood surrounding the young mother in labour with wrappers held high in form of a cubicle providing ample privacy.
An elderly woman identified as Kayigema Gertude also a local vendor said she is a mother of five. She was in charge of soothing the young mother telling her and other helpers what to do.
Kayigema said, “in my home district of Gisozi there are often such incidents where expectant women are caught in similar situations. I have been there for at least three that is how I knew her labour was in advanced stage to be taken without an ambulance.”
Incidentally a doctor stationed at Kacyiru hospital located near the police station arrived at the scene. He immediately cut the umbilical cord and made sure the young mother and baby were in good health before placing them in an ambulance to the hospital.
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