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Senate in fresh bid to resolve Pumwani twins’ death


Members of the Senate health committee will visit Pumwani Maternity Hospital next week in a bid to resolve a confounding row where a couple is accusing medical personnel at the health facility of swapping their twin babies with dead ones.

The committee’s visit is informed by baffling results of a DNA test that confirmed that the dead babies did not belong to the couple; the two deceased boys were neither twins nor born of the same mother. The committee members will visit the facility on Monday at 10 a.m.

Last week, a senior Nairobi County government health official disowned medical officials at the center of the controversy. Mr Dedan Kimathi’s wife Jacinta Gathua Wanjiku gave birth to the twins at Pumwani Maternity Hospital on January 6, but doctors told him that the babies had died.

However, DNA tests on the two corpses have shown that there is no genetic relationship between the bodies and the couple.

On Friday, County Chief Medical Officer Robert Ayisi said the matter is under police investigations and they would let the law take its course.

DNA TEST RESULTS

He stated that the county would institute administrative action against those found culpable although he noted he was yet to receive the DNA test results.

Dr Ayisi said the hospital’s records would show all the staff that handled the matter. Dr Ayisi, who was speaking at City Hall, added that the concerned medical staff, including the medical officer in-charge, have recorded statements at the Shauri Moyo Police Station.

Dr Ayisi defended the medical officers after the Daily Nation broke the story in early January. He demanded an “unconditional apology” claiming the story was published in “bad faith”.

He stated that he relied on information from the hospital that had indicated that the babies were born dead and were shown to the mother who signed hospital documents.

On January 5, Mr Kimathi took his wife, Ms Wanjiku, who was in labour, to Pumwani Maternity Hospital, but the next day at 4 p.m., he was told that their twin babies had died.

The test that was conducted between January 27 and February 4 at the Government Chemist in Nairobi revealed that not only were the bodies  not the couple’s children but the babies were not even twins.

Mr Ayisi said that the parents of the two stillborn children would be pursued.