Five Babies' Deaths: Family questions Thika Hospital's emergency response

The circumstances surrounding the deaths of Mercy Kanini’s five newborns came under fresh scrutiny after her family questioned whether critical decisions at Thika Level 5 Hospital denied the premature babies an opportunity to survive.

During a Senate Health Committee hearing, the family sought explanations over why Kanini was not transferred to Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) before delivery, whether the ambulances used to ferry the newborns were properly equipped and why the babies allegedly waited before reaching specialised care in Nairobi.

Kanini’s sister, Catherine Mutheu, appearing alongside lawyers Muthoni Mburu and Njoki Mburu, disputed aspects of the hospital’s account, arguing that several issues surrounding the emergency remained unanswered.

One of the main concerns was the decision to have Kanini deliver at Thika despite carrying five babies, with the family questioning whether an earlier referral could have changed the outcome.

Mutheu told the committee that Kanini arrived at the hospital at approximately 7am, while medical staff said the five babies were delivered between 10.45am and 10.56am.

She wanted the doctors to explain why the mother was not moved to KNH before delivery, given the risks associated with her pregnancy.

“My question is, during that time, do you think if you had earlier made a referral from Thika to Kenyatta, could that have given the babies a chance to survive?” Mutheu asked.

The family also sought clarity on the time the newborns spent waiting before being received at the KNH newborn unit, pointing to differences between the accounts given by the mother and hospital staff.

Mutheu said Kanini had indicated that the babies remained in the ambulances for between 45 minutes and one hour before being transferred, but a nurse who appeared before the committee estimated the wait at about 20 minutes.

“Which account should we believe?” she asked.

Another point of contention was the condition of the three ambulances deployed to transport the babies from Thika to Nairobi.

While nurses maintained that the vehicles had the required equipment, Mutheu said the information given to the family by Kanini and her husband painted a different picture, suggesting that only the first ambulance was adequately equipped.

“The nurses have said that the ambulances were well equipped, but the information I got from the mother and father is that the first ambulance was well equipped. What about the second and third ambulances?” she asked.

The family further demanded an explanation for why Kanini’s husband had to hold one of the newborns against his bare chest during the journey, questioning whether the baby lacked the necessary support and equipment.

“Why was the father holding the fifth baby in a kangaroo style? What happened?” she asked.

Mutheu also challenged the medical teams at Thika Level 5 Hospital and KNH to account for the outcome, questioning whether the tragedy could have been avoided had the required medical interventions been undertaken.

“If the doctors at Thika Level 5 and the doctors at Kenyatta National Hospital did what was required, do you think I could still be having my nieces and nephew?” she asked.

However, Kiambu County officials and the management of Thika Level 5 Hospital stood by the medical team's handling of the case, saying the facility had responded to an emergency involving babies born extremely prematurely.

Thika Level 5 Hospital Medical Superintendent Angela Wekesa, County Health Executive Elias Maina and other medical personnel defended the decisions taken by the doctors, maintaining that they had acted to protect both the mother and the newborns.

Dr Marion Wanjiku, a neonatologist who attended to the babies, told the committee that transferring Kanini to KNH before delivery would have exposed her and the children to additional danger because she was already in the advanced stages of labour.

“She came in late stages of labour. Transferring her would have risked her having poor outcomes, not just for the mother, but for the babies,” she said.

Wanjiku said the medical team had assessed the situation as an emergency and determined that delivering the babies at Thika, stabilising them and then arranging a referral was the safest available option at the time.

She explained that decisions in such cases depended on the patient's condition and the circumstances surrounding the emergency, rather than following a fixed approach.

“She came as an emergency case. We handled it as an emergency, and we always look at cases on a case-bycase basis. In this case, that was the best decision at that time: deliver the babies, stabilise and refer,” she said.

The neonatologist also addressed concerns about the time taken to move the newborns into the KNH unit, saying the receiving hospital had to be informed and prepared before the transfer could proceed.

According to Wanjiku, the medical team had to coordinate with KNH to ensure the facility was ready to receive the babies instead of arriving without prior arrangements.

“We can’t just arrive and start transporting babies. We have to first report to the receiving institution, ensure they are well prepared, and then transfer the babies,” she said.