Mystery of a ‘lost’ twin in Kirinyaga

Police in Kirinyaga have said that they have made progress in the investigation of the alleged disappearance of one of the newborn twins, raising concerns over entry of child sale syndicate involving hospital staff.

The family of Lawrence Mureithi Mwai from Baricho village, Kirinyaga West Sub-county alleges that while the prenatal doctors’ reports including scans showed the wife, Judy Wangechi, 35, was carrying twins, she delivered a single newborn.

Officials at Kerugoya Referral Hospital told her the scans were inaccurate.

“We have interrogation all those involved and the investigations are ongoing,” said Kirinyaga County Police Commander Leah Kithei.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations also con?rmed the same and said officers have taken supporting documents from the family to assist in the investigations.

The family alleges that medics at the hospital told the pregnant Wangechi that she could not deliver the twins normally and would have to do it through the cesarean procedure, meaning that they had also found she is carrying twins.

The husband who signed the consent for the surgery said he was showed x-ray photos indicating showing the twins as part of the process of his consenting.

X-ray of a pregnant woman with twins [Courtesy]

Her mother-in-law, Faith Wanjiku, says her daughter was taken to the theatre in the morning of Tuesday last week, but after successful surgery, doctors said they were no twins after all.

“I had already bought a pair of clothes for the newborns because of the medical records. But shock awaited me,” she said.

Hospital officials have since declined to speak to the media, pending the results of the investigations.

The distraught mother who has since been discharged from the hospital is now recuperating at their home in Karinga village, while the family is calling for thorough and independent investigations by the police and gynecologists.

She had earlier been admitted at Baricho Health Centre but refereed to Kerugoya Referral Hospital because of the complications resulting from the twins.

“The medical officer who referred my wife to Kerugoya was very categorical that she had twins.

How comes one disappeared after she gave birth?” said the husband.

He said because of the medical workers’ strike in Kirinyaga, he had taken her wife to Karatina Hospital and to the faith-based Karira Hospital in Mwea where it was confirmed that she was carrying twins. Records from Kerugoya Referral Hospital also indicate that there were two pre-born twins, labeled A and B and noted that twin A was more playful than the other.