All is well: Kiambu County insists no infant deaths reported due to doctors' strike

Kiambu County has dismissed reports linking the ongoing doctors’ strike to a rise in maternal and neonatal deaths.

The county and doctors’ unions are locked in a blame game. Whereas the county maintains that no lives have been lost, doctors allege that more than 150 infants have died in the past four months.

As the strike drags into its 133rd day, patients continue to suffer amid a crippling healthcare paralysis that shows no signs of easing.

What began as a call for fair pay and better working conditions has escalated into a deepening standoff between the county government and healthcare workers. The impasse has left hospitals deserted, services crippled, and mothers and infants at the mercy of an overstretched health system.

“June to September, Thika Level 5 Hospital alone has lost 5 mothers. Kiambu has also lost a mother, Ruiru has lost a mother, Kihara has also lost a mother,” says Dr James Githinji, Consultant Pharmacist at Thika Level 5 Hospital.

Among those affected is Nancy Jepichii, a first-time mother from Kiambu who lost her newborn amid the ongoing strike. She says she did everything right; attended antenatal clinics, arrived at the hospital on time, and trusted the system to keep her baby safe. But when the moment came, there was no doctor to help her.

“Nilifika vizuri on time sasa hio kupimwa nime dilate 6 centimetres, nikaambiwa uko na possibility ya kuzaa by 8pm ndio daktari aliniambia. Lakini unaona kuambiwa enda ukae pale and I am a first time mother nikaenda nikaa tu hapo,” says Jepichii.

Her baby was born in distress, struggling to breathe, and placed in an incubator. She claims there were no specialists on duty to manage the situation. Hours later, her baby died.

“Nikachukua simu nikapigia baba yake. Nikamwambia mtoto amekufa. Nikakelelesha madaktari nikawaambia kama mlijua shida ni hii si mnge ng’ang’ana kufanya hivi na hivi, mbona mkanifanya hivi,” she adds.

Nancy’s grief is shared by Esther Nduma, another mother who lost her baby at Thika Level 5 Hospital. She claims her premature son was admitted to the newborn intensive care unit, but with doctors absent and nurses stretched thin, she was instructed to stand by his incubator and monitor him herself. Just three hours after giving birth, her baby, too, didn’t make it.

“Time nilipata mtoto it was my happiness na nilikua nafikiri ni baraka zangu. Nilikua nime bond na mtoto wangu. Mtoto alikua already amekunywa maziwa yangu, nilingoja kwa long time singemtupa tu. Wacha nimpeleke nyumbani nikienda nitakua napanda maua kwa grave yake nasema ni mtoto wangu,” she narrates.

Despite the painful testimonies, the county maintains that all is well.

“I can clearly and categorically tell you there is no health crisis in Kiambu. Hospitals are running as usual. All services are being offered,” says Kiambu Health CEC Dr Elias Maina.

But some doctors on the ground paint a grim picture: wards without doctors, critical cases referred elsewhere, and an administrative directive barring ambulances from leaving county boundaries, even in emergencies.

Dr James Githinji, Consultant Pharmacist at Thika Level 5 Hospital, claims that between May and September alone, over 150 babies were lost.

“Thika Level 5 lost 68 babies between May and September. Kiambu Level 4 lost 86 babies, 152 mothers over that period, for only those two hospitals, did not go home with their babies,” says Dr Githinji.

Ironically, just a few months ago, during the Devolution Conference, Kiambu was hailed for achieving zero maternal deaths over a seven-month period. But those gains are now quickly slipping away, as the unfolding crisis threatens to undo the county’s progress even as officials continue to downplay the situation.

“What we are saying is, there are no deaths that have occurred as a result of the strike,” says Kiambu Health CEC Dr Elias Maina.

"When we took office, the emergency department was struggling. Today, we have 19 fully equipped, state-of-the-art ambulances, including one dedicated to maternity care, ensuring mothers and infants get timely help. As a result, Kiambu Level 4 Hospital recorded zero maternal deaths between January and July 2025, a first in Africa."