A family in Kikuyu, Kiambu County, is seeking justice after 32-year-old Philice Wanjiru died shortly after giving birth through a cesarean section at St. Teresa’s Maternity and Nursing Home.
Her husband, Dennis Wanyonyi, says what began as a joyful moment quickly turned tragic.
Doctors initially told him the surgery was successful and that both mother and baby were safe. But within hours, Wanjiru’s condition changed drastically.
“She called me saying doctors wanted her back in theatre,” Wanyonyi said. “Later she was rushed to Kenyatta National Hospital, admitted to ICU, but she did not survive.”
Wanyonyi claims that when his wife arrived at KNH, doctors there raised questions about the procedure performed at St. Teresa’s.
The concerns, he says, sparked heated exchanges between the two medical teams.
Now left to raise their four children, Wanyonyi describes the loss as unbearable. He also accuses authorities of frustrating his efforts to get accountability. “When I reported the matter, I was sent back and forth between Kikuyu Police Station and the KNH police post,” he explained.
He is appealing to the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC) to step in and investigate the case.
Wanjiru’s death comes barely two weeks after another woman died under similar circumstances in Uthiru, raising fresh fears over the safety of mothers undergoing cesarean sections in small facilities around Nairobi.
Attempts to get a response from St. Teresa’s Maternity and Nursing Home were unsuccessful, as no representative was available to speak on the matter.