Reverend. Jecinta Kiugi: A Spiritual Journey to KNH Chaplaincy

By Steven Arwa

A Chaplain offers spiritual care to patients and their families. But they are more than just spiritual guiding conduits as they use the insight and principle of psychology, spirituality guidance and theology.

He or she is clinically trained to help patients, their families and medical staff navigate the healthcare experience. They support the belief system across faiths and cultures in order to better meet the needs those they are helping.

A hospital can be a frightening environment not only for patients but as well as also become a high stress work environment for hospital staff. This is where Reverend. Jecinta Kiugi comes in, having recently been confirmed by the Presbyterian Church of East Africa as a Reverend. Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) recognizes that both patients their dependents/families require spiritual, pastoral guidance, care and support during their time in the hospital and as well the staff to assist in enhancing performance culture, quality of healthcare and those discharging it.

Rev. Jecinta’s story did not start here but it has been an eventful journey that started back in Nyeri County. The last born in a family of three siblings, Rev. Jecinta came to understand and embrace the value of family when she lost both her parents at a tender age. Growing up as an orphan paved a way for her spirituality journey.

Growing up, Rev. Jecinta had the dream of venturing into finance even pursued it in campus and successfully got employed at CFC Insurance Company. Despite working in a financial environment, by the virtue of being known as the Pastor wife that led to many of her colleagues coming to her for spiritual advice and counsel.

Due to the frequency of these consults, positive feedbacks and self fulfilment that it brought her, she felt that finance was not her rightful path and later enrolled for a Theology class. In her second year of her study, advises from her lecturer and subsequent interactions with them helped her decide to venture to Chaplaincy a field that by then had not experienced a lot of attraction as compared to pastoral work.

After her fourth year she was posted to KNH and that’s where her journey at the hospital started.

Growing up an orphan and receiving support from the church, this expounded and rooted her sense of spirituality and being able to perform the Chaplaincy duties in a hospital set up, Rev. Jecinta saw this as her life coming full circle. Her induction to the Presbyterian Church of Kenya has come at a critical time where she will be fully streamlined into the church doctrine and KNH therefore, this process confirmed that she will be henceforth station at KNH on behalf of the Presbyterian church of Kenya.

“This induction has given me more energy to work for the church and KNH. Both institutions affirmation and constant support only empowers my resolve to break down barriers that might present itself in the course of discharging my duties. Even though the hospital has yet to fully mainstream chaplaincy into the rest of the departments am happy that great strides are being made in that effort and more and more staff members are acknowledging our roles. I believe it is overdue that an established institution like KNH has recognized that holistic healing has an essential role to play just as physical and mental healing therefore, mainstreaming us into the rest of the hospital.”

“As I reiterate a hospital can sometimes become a high stress working environment for anyone therefore, this is where we as Chaplaincy come in as our role is multi-faceted. As other departments offer medical and mental services that cater for the patient and staff, we also come in to provide spiritual support and encouragement.”

Rev. Jecinta together with her colleagues have taken a step towards providing a spiritual proactive care which is not only centred towards the patients but also involving the staff by guiding them towards a sacred space that is aimed at nourishing the inner deficiency of morals, values, beliefs and giving them inner purpose that enhance all-round healing and boosting performance culture.

Being part of the KNH community has greatly helped Rev. Jecinta to deal and heal from her own personal challenges and trauma. In the course of discharging her duties, positive interactions with her colleagues, other staff have continued to endear her and her work within and outside the KNH community.

Currently, she is working together with patients and doctors to understand patients’ problems more and come up with better ways of providing quality healthcare. Also, part of her specialization is centred towards enhancing staff spiritual well-being in order to enhance positively their patient healthcare.

MAIN PHOTO | STEVE ARWA Reverend Edward Karanja, Moderator Milimani North Presbyterian conducting Reverend. Jecinta Kiugi (C) induction at PECA Church, KNH. On looking is her husband Reverend Kiugi Apollo.