On April 18, Susan Wanjiku received a call from her daughter Elizabeth Wairimu informing her that she had been admitted to Nakuru Teaching and Referral Hospital long after her due date.
Ms Wairimu told her mum that she was scheduled for a Cesarean section and requested that she visit before the procedure.
Ms Wanjiku, who was on her way to a church function in Tabuga, Bahati Sub-County, changed course and arrived at the hospital around 5pm.
She found her daughter lying in bed at the Margaret Kenyatta Mother and Baby Wing already prepped and labeled for surgery.
Elizabeth Wairimu, 27, died at the Nakuru Teaching and Referral Hospital after developing complications hours after undergoing a C-section.
Photo credit: Courtesy
According to Ms Wanjiku, her daughter said she had earlier been wheeled to the theatre but her operation had been rescheduled for the next morning on a Saturday.
The two prayed together and Ms Wanjiku left, promising to check in the following day.
“She told me there was a queue and nurses were still debating whether to take her in or leave her in the ward. We had a small chat before I left. She couldn’t wait to hold her child. I never knew that would be the last time I would see my daughter in good condition,” she said.
On Saturday morning, Ms Wanjiku called her daughter at 7am.
Susan Wanjiku the mother of Elizabeth Wairimu, who died at the Nakuru Teaching and Referral Hospital, speaks to the media outside the facility on April 20, 2025.
Photo credit: Mercy Koskei | Nation Media Group
Ms Wairimu was cheerful and said the doctors were preparing her for the operation. She was taken to theatre at 10am.
However, by 12pm, Ms Wanjiku received a distress call from Ms Wairimu’s husband Benson Kinyanjui informing her that hours had passed but Ms Wairimu had not come out of the theatre.
At 1pm, there was still no word from the doctors and Mr Kinyanjui, growing increasingly anxious, asked Ms Wanjiku to rush to the hospital.
On arrival she learned that Ms Wairimu's condition had deteriorated and she had been moved to the Intensive Care Unit. She claimed that medics delayed the transfer, citing the need for an ambulance, despite the ICU being in the same facility.
The heartbroken mother said she was initially blocked from seeing her daughter and mistreated by hospital staff who allegedly dismissed her concerns.
“When I called my son-in-law, he told me that he had been allowed inside after the procedure but that Wairimu wasn’t in good shape. I panicked. When I arrived, I wasn’t allowed in at first but after explaining my situation to the guards, they let me through. I found my daughter before she was taken to the ICU and she wasn’t moving, her tongue had turned black and her eyes were covered. I just prayed for her silently,” she said.
Benson Kinyanjui the husband of Elizabeth Wairimu, who died at the Nakuru Teaching and Referral Hospital, speaks to the media outside the facility on April 20, 2025.
Photo credit: Mercy Koskei | Nation Media Group
Mr Kinyanjui said he had taken his wife for a routine check-up hoping they would return home together but doctors advised immediate admission.
He arrived at the hospital early on Saturday and briefly spoke with his wife before she was wheeled into surgery. But hours passed with no update.
“I don’t understand why she stayed in the theatre for more than four hours. She had shown no signs of complications the night before. We were asked to leave the facility and return later. While I was on my way home, I received a call informing me that my wife had died. They delayed updating us and kept us in the dark,” he said.
The family now accuses the hospital of negligence citing delayed surgical intervention, poor communication and mistreatment by staff.
They have demanded a full investigation into the incident and want Nakuru Governor Susan Kihika to intervene to prevent further maternal deaths at the facility, which has faced scrutiny before.
In a press statement, Nakuru County Health Services executive Roselyn Mungai said Ms Wairimu was admitted at 11am with a postdated pregnancy and was in early labour. A C-section was scheduled for the next morning.
The surgery began at 10am and concluded at 11:30am successfully delivering a baby boy. However, Ms Mungai said the patient later developed complications including breathing difficulties and low oxygen levels.
She was promptly resuscitated, intubated, and placed on a ventilator.
The hospital could only transfer her to the ICU when a bed became available at 3pm. Despite efforts to stabilise her, Ms Wairimu died at 5.41pm.
“A case audit conducted by the clinical team found that based on the available information, the complications were neither predictable nor preventable. A postmortem has been recommended to ascertain the exact cause of death. Although the family was eventually informed and allowed to visit her, earlier communication lapses heightened their uncertainty,” she stated.
