A policewoman from the elite Rapid Deployment Unit (RDU) has died while allegedly undergoing an abortion in Nairobi.
The officer, a constable, was first taken to a hospital in Kawangware while unconscious after being transferred from another facility.
However, she did not make it to the wards alive. A doctor at the facility where she was rushed in a private car confirmed that she was already dead and there was no need to admit her.
Police and the doctor indicated that the officer, who was on leave from her station in Embakasi, may have been induced to go into labour, prompting a visit to the initial health facility.
She succumbed to the bleeding, and her body was moved to the mortuary pending an autopsy, according to police.
The incident occurred in Kabiru area, Kawangware.
Following the constable’s death, police arrested a nurse on duty and a driver attached to the facility on Wednesday for questioning.
Married Women Record Highest Number of Abortions
Kenya recorded an estimated 792,694 cases of induced abortion in 2023, according to data from reproductive health stakeholders. This translates to a national rate of 57.3 abortions per 1,000 women of reproductive age (15–49 years).
The findings further revealed that nearly 80 per cent of those who procured abortions were married women, challenging the common assumption that abortion primarily affects the young or unmarried.
Nairobi and Central Kenya recorded the highest abortion rates, averaging 78.3 per 1,000 women, while the Coast and North Eastern regions posted the lowest at 38.7 per 1,000.
Despite growing awareness and increased access to safe abortion medication, such as misoprostol, used in 89 per cent of reported cases, significant gaps remain in post-abortion care. According to the survey conducted by the African Population and Health Research Centre (APHRC) and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NADC), only 18 per cent of lower-level health facilities in Kenya meet the minimum standards required to handle post-abortion emergencies, raising concerns about the quality of reproductive health services.
