Kiambu MPs Question Hospital Preparedness After Four Quintuplets Die

Two Members of Parliament have raised questions over the preparedness of health facilities in Kiambu County following the deaths of four infants from a rare set of quintuplets born at Thika Level Five Hospital.

Thika Town MP Alice Ng'ang'a and Juja MP George Koimburi criticised the county government's health services, arguing that shortages of specialised equipment and medical personnel may have contributed to the infants' inability to survive.

The MPs spoke in Juja days after a 28-year-old woman from the constituency, identified as Mercy, gave birth to five babies through a rare natural delivery at Thika Level Five Hospital on September 13, 2026.

Four of the infants died on Tuesday morning, September 15, after being transferred by ambulance to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Kenyatta National Hospital.

MP Questions Need for Referral

Ng'ang'a questioned why the newborns required transfer to Kenyatta National Hospital if Thika Level Five Hospital had adequate equipment, medicines and specialised personnel.

“Governor alisema Thika Level Five ni mzuri. Ingekuwa iko na madawa na madaktari, angepelekwa KU?” Ng'ang'a posed.

The MP accused the county administration of failing to give adequate priority to maternal and child healthcare and alleged that political considerations were being placed ahead of residents' health needs.

Her comments came amid renewed scrutiny of the capacity of county hospitals to handle high-risk deliveries and provide specialised neonatal care.

Koimburi Raises Wider Health Concerns

Juja MP George Koimburi supported Ng'ang'a's concerns, arguing that the challenges extend beyond Thika Level Five Hospital.

Koimburi pointed to what he described as gaps in healthcare infrastructure and medical supplies across Kiambu County.

He cited a dispensary in Gachororo, Juja, which he said lacked essential equipment required to provide adequate services to residents.

The MP called for greater investment in medical infrastructure, equipment and personnel across the county.

Rare Quintuplet Birth

The controversy follows the unusual birth of quintuplets at Thika Level Five Hospital on September 13.

The mother, identified as 28-year-old Mercy from Juja, delivered five babies in what was described as a rare natural birth.

Following the delivery, the newborns required specialised neonatal care and were subsequently transferred to Kenyatta National Hospital.

Four of the babies died on the morning of September 15, while the fifth infant survived and continued receiving medical care, according to the information provided.

The deaths have prompted questions over the availability of specialised neonatal services and the ability of county-level facilities to manage extremely high-risk multiple births.

Calls for Greater Investment in Maternal Care

The MPs' remarks have placed renewed focus on the state of maternal and neonatal healthcare in Kiambu County.

Multiple births can require specialised equipment, close monitoring and specialised neonatal care, particularly where newborns require intensive medical support.

The circumstances surrounding the deaths of the four infants, including the specific medical causes and the extent to which equipment, staffing or other factors contributed, would require assessment by the relevant health authorities and medical professionals.

The developments are likely to intensify calls for county and national health authorities to strengthen neonatal services, improve referral systems and ensure hospitals have the personnel and equipment required to handle complicated deliveries.

For the affected family, however, the focus remains on the loss of four newborns following an extraordinary birth that had initially brought hope and celebration.