Villagers at Shariani, Kilifi county were left in shock after a woman gave birth to what many, including herself, believe is a fish.
Sarah Mbeyu Jabiri says that she on Wednesday gave birth to what she says had a fishtail and eyes, after days of labour.
She claims that she was not pregnant at the time, which doubled the shock, pulling a crowd of villagers who came to witness the abnormal unfolding.
“I started bleeding on Thursday and Friday last week I started feeling severe stomach pains, it was too much like labour pains. The pains ceased on Sunday but I was still bleeding until Wednesday at night when I felt some force in my abdomen and I pushed the mass out,” she told the Standard.
The woman who is in her 30s says that she was also shocked after landing the 'fish' on the ground, as it slipped out of her body before she could get a basin.
“I was not pregnant at all. I was still with my clothes and so rushed to pick a basin so that I can drop it there, but it was late and I released it on the ground. The creature had eyes and a fishtail. I was shocked to see it,” she added.
She was later taken to Kilifi County Hospital where doctors said that there is no need for alarm as the same is very common, though not within her age bracket.
Confirming the incident, the County Medical Superintendent Eddy Nzomo ruled out witchcraft, noting that the woman is set to undergo more tests to determine her health.
"This is not witchcraft but a condition in the world of science. It happens when a woman gets pregnant, then the placenta starts developing but develops complications and starts growing abnormally forming a mass in the uterus. With time, the body sees it as foreign and it removes it from the uterus,” said Nzomo.
But the woman says that she gave birth to a fish commonly referred to in the village as 'totovu' and which is never eaten.
She said that her husband was equally shaken, and is yet to come to terms with the incident.