Why four of Juja quintuplets died after premature birth

Mercy Kanini, 28 years old, from Juja, Kiambu County, gave birth to 5 children at Thika Level Five Hospital. [Gitau Wanyoike, Standard]

A family in Juja, Kiambu County, is mourning the deaths of four of five babies born prematurely in a rare quintuplet delivery after the newborns developed complications associated with extreme prematurity and very low birth weight.

The babies, born at Thika Level Five Hospital, were transferred to Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), where they were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for specialised care.

Four of the newborns have since died while receiving treatment at KNH, leaving one baby under care.

The deaths have highlighted the difficult fight for survival faced by babies born extremely prematurely, particularly those weighing less than one kilogramme.