Nakuru man devastated after wife dies giving birth at PGH, in suspected negligence case

A dark Easter has engulfed the family of Benson Kinyanjui after the death of his wife.

What should have been a weekend of celebration turned into mourning as the family grapples with the sudden loss of their loved one under circumstances they believe could have been prevented.

The family from Ndege Ndimu-Lanet has expressed deep frustration, anger, and heartbreak over what they describe as negligence by Nakuru Level 5 Hospital.

According to Kinyanjui, he took his wife to the Nakuru Mother-Baby wing on Good Friday for a consult, concerned that she had surpassed her expected due date.

Elizabeth Wairimu Njoroge, just 27 years old, had gone three weeks past her due date, and Kinyanjui says that throughout her pregnancy, and even on the day of admission, she showed no signs of distress.

“I brought my wife myself on Friday, riding with her on my motorbike. We were chatting along the way she had no issues at all. When I brought her here, it wasn’t because we were expecting the baby that day. We just wanted to understand why she had gone past her due date and wasn’t in any pain,” says an emotional Kinyanjui.

He says upon arrival, he was informed his wife needed to be admitted and would undergo a C-section the same day.

However, after being taken to the theatre, she was brought back to the ward and told that due to a high number of emergencies, the procedure would have to be postponed later that night or the following morning.

The following day, Kinyanjui returned by 6 a.m. and found his wife still in good health and high spirits, even up until she was taken to the theatre for the second time at 8 a.m., only for things to take a turn for the worse without their knowledge.

“After hours of inquiry of where my wife was, a doctor called and told me to wait a bit, that he was on his way. When he arrived, he told me my wife had encountered complications and that they had to choose between saving the baby or the mother. I was shocked. Isn’t that something they should have asked me first? Why didn’t they consult me before making that decision?”

“After we saw her, we were told an ambulance was coming and was supposed to arrive at 1 p.m., but it didn’t get here until 3 p.m. This was an emergency. She wasn’t breathing. How can an ambulance take two hours to arrive, and it’s just from here?”

Kinyanjui met the love of his life, Wanjiru, in 2020. Together, they had a six-year-old child and had just welcomed a newborn. Now, his life has been turned upside down.

“My whole life with my wife she’s been my strength. I don’t even know what I’m going to do now. How will I raise my child? What am I supposed to do?” he wails uncontrollably.

According to Susan Wanjiku, Wairimu’s mother, she was a very obedient and hardworking child, full of happiness, and the fourth of her five children.

Similarly, to Kinyanjui's account, Wanjiku maintains that her daughter had been well, was high-spirited, and conversed with her up to the time she was being taken to the theatre.

“I’m now going to the theatre; in case you miss me over the phone. I’ve given it to Ben,” that’s the last she heard of her, adding that in the hours that followed, they touched base with the son-in-law until he relayed that things weren’t right, prompting her to visit the hospital.

“Justice must be served for my daughter. I’m here to stand strong so no other child suffers the same fate. If death comes, let it be by God’s will not because of negligence,” an upset Wanjiku swears.

In a statement that came hours after the family presser by the Nakuru Health Executive, Roselyn Mungai, Wairimu is alleged to have experienced some complications.

“However, shortly after the surgery, Elizabeth experienced unexpected complications, including difficulty breathing and low oxygen levels. She was promptly resuscitated, intubated, and placed on a ventilator. It is important to note that the hospital could only transfer Ms. Njoroge when an ICU bed became available at 3:00 PM.”

“We recognize and deeply regret the delay in communicating with the family during the critical period immediately following the surgery,” part of the statement reads.

As the family prepares to conduct a post-mortem on Wairimu to ascertain what exactly went wrong, they remain hopeful that the findings will provide clarity, accountability, and a path toward justice for their loved one.