Mercy Kanini: Heartbreak as Mother Loses Newborn Quintuplets 2 Days After Delivery

• Mercy Kanini gave birth to five babies on September 14, 2026, in a spontaneous delivery that surprised medical staff
• Four of the quintuplets died shortly after birth, with one survivor transferred to Kenyatta National Hospital for specialised neonatal care
• Kenyatta National Hospital confirmed the deaths of all five babies, citing extreme prematurity at 25 weeks and critically low birth weights

A Kenyan mother who briefly held on to hope after giving birth to quintuplets has suffered a devastating loss, with Kenyatta National Hospital confirming the deaths of all five newborns by September 16, 2026.

Mercy Kanini, from Juja in Kiambu County, delivered four girls and one boy on Monday, September 14, without surgical intervention.

Medical staff described the spontaneous birth of five babies as a notable event, made more extraordinary by the fact that prenatal scans had indicated only four, with the fifth revealed only during labour.

The quintuplets arrived at 25 weeks of gestation, far earlier than the threshold generally considered viable for newborn survival, and each baby registered critically low birth weight at birth.

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Four of the five died in the hours immediately following delivery. The remaining baby was transferred to KNH, where a multidisciplinary neonatal team that included neonatologists, nurses and allied health professionals worked to stabilise the child.

That effort ended on the morning of September 16 when the fifth baby also died.

In a formal statement, KNH acknowledged the tragedy and outlined the clinical challenges the medical teams had faced from the moment of admission.

"Our multidisciplinary Neonatal team, comprising Neonatologists, nurses and allied health professionals, provided specialised care and made every effort to support the babies.

Despite the dedicated efforts of our medical teams and the specialised care provided, all five newborns sadly passed away. KNH is deeply saddened by this devastating loss and extends its most heartfelt condolences to the mother and the entire family.

We recognise the profound pain of losing five newborns and stand with the family during this extraordinarily difficult period," the statement read.

Source: YEN.com.gh