This article highlights the maternal death of Faith Binzali, a young mother who passed away on the operating table while undergoing a caesarean section delivery. This is story nine of the Wanjiku Kumbukumbu project by Mummy Tales, an initiative that is documenting maternal deaths in Kenya.
By Maryanne W. Waweru l maryanne@mummytales.com
What was meant to be a joyful moment for 26-year-old Faith Binzali and her family quickly turned into tragedy when she died on the operating table while undergoing a caesarean section delivery at St. Joseph The Worker Catholic Health Centre in Kangemi, Nairobi County. Faith passed away on Tuesday 2 September 2025. It was her first child.
Her husband, Alex Ndung’u, said that his wife walked into the health facility in good health and with no complications. Sadly, she was never to return home.
Her father, Bernard Babu, believes her death was the result of medical negligence, saying that the staff’s poor handling of the procedure caused a preventable tragedy.
When Bernard entered the operating room, he was met with a horrific scene. Blood was splattered across the walls and floor, with his daughter’s lifeless body soaked in blood. Bernard also noted that blood was spilling from her mouth.
According to Bernard, the health workers offered no explanation to the grieving family about what had transpired. Instead, they fled the hospital, leaving Faith’s loved ones devastated and traumatized.
Autopsy report on Faith Binzali
A postmortem on Faith conducted on 4 September 2025 established that she died from lack of oxygen in the brain (hypoxia) while on the operating table –a likely complication from the anaesthetic drug that was administered to her. It is reported that excessive anaesthetic drugs were used on her, in addition to an overdose of other drugs given to her before the surgery.
The family has since reported the matter to the police.
13 Kenyan women die daily from pregnancy-related and childbirth complications. Sadly, most of these deaths are preventable.
It is worth noting that St. Joseph The Worker Catholic Health Centre had previously been blacklisted by the now-defunct National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) over false claims.
*The above information’s source is KTN News Kenya. Watch the videos below for more details.
The unfortunate death of Faith is the ninth account in the Wanjiku Kumbukumbu series by Mummy Tales, an initiative that is focused on documenting maternal deaths in Kenya to raise awareness about the issue and advocate for better maternal health. The project aims to memorialize Kenyan mothers we have lost to childbirth complications.
Read more Wanjiku Kumbukumbu articles:
- Mumbi’s death from retained placenta complications
- Barbara Mkok’s passing from pre-eclampsia complications
- Stella Mtira Wangama’s death from post-caesarean section complications
- Magdalene Njoki Mburu’s passing from uterine rupture complications
- Mwalimu Immaculate Akinyi Kirui’s death from childbirth complications after delivering quadruplets
- Elizabeth Wairimu’s death from pulmonary embolism at age 27
- Phanice Kerubo, 27, dies from childbirth complications
- Vanessa Wanjiku’s death while giving life
If you would like to share information about a mother who has lost her life due to maternal health complications in 2025, or if you would like to support the Wanjiku Kumbukumbu project by Mummy Tales, please reach me at maryanne@mummytales.com
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
