By Maryanne W. Waweru l maryanne@mummytales.com
Maternal deaths in Kenya are a major public health concern. But why are Kenyan women still dying during pregnancy, delivery, or soon after childbirth? Every so often, while watching the news or scrolling through our social media timelines, we learn about the sad demise of a woman who passed away while giving life. Sometimes, they were perfectly healthy women who accessed high-quality medical care during pregnancy or childbirth in well-equipped health facilities. But they still died.
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines a maternal death as the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of ending her pregnancy.
Why are Kenyan mothers still dying in 2025?
Despite decades of interventions by the government and thousands of non-governmental organizations, maternal mortality continues to be a major public health challenge in Kenya. UNFPA reports that nearly 5,000 women and girls in Kenya die annually due to pregnancy and childbirth complications. That’s about 13 women each day. 13 too many.
But these are just not numbers. Each number represents a woman who had a name, a beautiful face, a smile, a family, a job, a hobby, a way of life… a woman who had hopes and dreams. A woman who is dearly missed by those she touched. Going beyond the numbers is important. And so are the women’s stories.
Maternal death accounts in Kenya
Because every maternal death counts, and every maternal death has a story, telling the stories of these women is important, I am embarking on a journey to capture the faces and stories behind these numbers. Where possible, I will tell you who these women were -what their personalities were like, what made them laugh, what they loved doing, the people who loved and cared for them, and the gaps they left behind.
I will collect this information through existing documentation, reports, and media coverage about maternal deaths in Kenya (including published newspaper, television, radio and social media items/posts). I will also gather information voluntarily shared by their family members and friends, all of whom are still trying to make sense of the loss of a woman they loved. Where possible, I will include recollections of clinicians and community health workers. Some of the accounts will be skeletal, others will be more fleshed out -depending on the information I will gather and receive.
This compilation will give a human face to the issues surrounding different shortcomings in the maternal health ecosystem in Kenya. Through these women’s stories, I hope that all of us –family members, community, medical professionals, researchers, women’s health advocates, policy makers and other leaders can broaden our understanding about why Kenyan mothers continue to die during pregnancy and childbirth.
This documentation will be against the backdrop of the three main factors associated with maternal deaths, otherwise known as the “three delays model”:
1) Delay in deciding to seek care
2) Delay in reaching an appropriate health facility
3) Delay in receiving adequate care at the facility
Why ‘Wanjiku Kumbukumbu’?
I have titled this initiative the ‘Wanjiku Kumbukumbu’ project. Why this title?
Wanjiku is a symbolic reference to Kenya’s common mwananchi (citizen). In this context, Wanjiku represents the ordinary Kenyan woman.
Kumbukumbu is a Swahili word meaning ‘memory’. Or ‘remembrance’.
The ‘Wanjiku Kumbukumbu’ project is a memorial board for the Kenyan mothers we have lost to childbirth complications. By highlighting the stories of women who have died due to maternal health causes, the project aims to give them a voice and memorialize their lives. ‘Wanjiku Kumbukumbu’ aims to prompt discussions about the need for better maternal health care in Kenya. It seeks to raise awareness and advocate for greater support.
Support the ‘Wanjiku Kumbukumbu’ project
If you would like to provide any information about a mother who lost her life during pregnancy or shortly after giving birth in 2025, or if you would like to support this initiative, you may reach me at maryanne@mummytales.com
These are their stories (regularly updated):
- Phyllis Wanjiru, 33, dies after caesarean section complications
- Faith Binzali, 26, succumbs to a caesarean section gone wrong
- Mumbi’s death from retained placenta complications
- Barbara Mkok, 38, succumbs to pre-eclampsia complications
- Stella Mtira Wangama, 33, succumbs to post-caesarean section complications
- Magdalene Njoki Mburu, 36, and her death from uterine rupture complications
- Immaculate Akinyi Kirui, 40, dies from childbirth complications
- Elizabeth Wairimu, 27, dies from pulmonary embolism
- Phanice Kerubo, 27, dies from alleged neglect while in labour at hospital
- Vanessa Wanjiku, 26, dies after caesarean section delivery
Also read the accounts of these husbands who lost their wives to childbirth complications:
- How I lost my wife to childbirth complications -Wilson Irungu
- How I lost my wife to delivery complications -John Maina
Mummy Tales by Maryanne W. Waweru is a platform dedicated to empowering its readers on different aspects of womanhood and motherhood. Read more motherhood experiences of Kenyan moms here. Connect with Mummy Tales on: FACEBOOK l YOU TUBE l TWITTER
