By Maryanne W. Waweru l maryanne@mummytales.com
In June 2025, a young mother, Mumbi, lost her life in a hospital in Mukurweini, Nyeri county, after delivering her baby. According to Mumbi’s cousin, the admission process when she arrived at the hospital at night went smoothly. Her labour also progressed well, which led to the birth of her daughter. She had a vaginal delivery.
However, the delivery of the placenta after Mumbi’s vaginal birth presented a challenge, as it appeared to be a case of a ‘retained placenta’. This happens when the placenta (or parts of it) remains in the uterus after delivery, failing to be expelled within a certain timeframe (usually from 5 – 30 minutes). If not managed well, a retained placenta can lead to life-threatening blood loss (postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) or severe infection. The consequences can be fatal.
Sadly, a few hours after delivery, Mumbi lost her life. She suffered excessive blood loss. Her newborn daughter survived.
According to her cousin, the family believes that Mumbi could have been better managed by the attending clinicians when the complication of the retained placenta arose. The family alleges that Mumbi’s life could have been saved had her situation been treated with the emergency care that it deserved. Listen to Mumbi’s cousin narrate the incident that led to her demise below.
@hellennjeri42
13 Kenyan women die daily from pregnancy-related complications. Sadly, most of these deaths are preventable.
The unfortunate death of Mumbi is the eighth 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:
- 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
