Members of Parliament are calling for the immediate shutdown of Magena Dispensary in Kisii County following the death of an expectant mother and her unborn twins, reportedly due to negligence by hospital staff in an incident which occurred on March 19.
Led by Kisii County Woman Representative Dorice Donya, a group of women MPs visited the facility and voiced their frustration over the poor state of healthcare services being offered.
The mother of the deceased, Phanice Nyaboke, claimed her daughter was left unattended for more than 24 hours despite being in prolonged labour, a situation that ultimately led to her death.
Donya condemned the high maternal mortality rate in the county, stating that Magena Dispensary was unfit to offer health services as staff allegedly rely on rainwater carried in jerry cans, and its delivery rooms lack proper lighting.
The legislators expressed outrage over the lack of essential services and proper infrastructure, citing staff negligence and poor facility conditions as major contributors to the tragedy.
Nominated MP Irene Mayaka demanded justice and action against those responsible, insisting that the right to life and access to healthcare must be upheld.
According to the report by released by Unicef, 2025 State of African Children Statistical Compendium, it stated that Kenya has made a significant progress in reducing the maternal deaths with the mortality rate decreasing to 530 deaths per 100,000 live births from 594 years.
Kenya has seen an 11 per cent improvement, but the country was still ranked fourth in maternal deaths in Africa by USAID's 2024 report on Preventing Child and Maternal Deaths. The report listed Kenya among the top five countries in Africa where women die from childbirth-related complications.
“Forty per cent of maternal deaths in sub-Saharan Africa are due to postpartum hemorrhage (28.4 per cent) and pre-eclampsia (15.7 per cent)."
Unicef also noted that, between 2003 and 2009, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that 9.6 per cent of maternal deaths were due to abortive pregnancy outcomes, dropping to 7.7 per cent from 2009 to 2020," Unicef stated.
Around the world, nearly 300,000 women die every year from problems related to pregnancy or childbirth. More than two million babies also die within their first month, and about two million more are stillborn. This means that every seven seconds, a preventable death happens.
Even though Kenya has made some progress, the problem is still serious. Data from Unicef shows that 7,764 women in Kenya have died during childbirth since 2020. The chance of dying from pregnancy-related causes in a year is 52 per cent.
