It was joy for Evelyn Namukhula, a woman termed as the “most fertile”, after she gave birth to five babies on Wednesday at Kakamega County referral Hospital. Namukhula termed the babies as a blessing from God. But will she live to see all her blessings? Or is it really a blessing to her ancestors? Well, Luhya elders have warned that three among babies needed to be killed to save the two.
However, the quintuplets had been referred to Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) Eldoret after developing breathing complications.
Speaking to the press on Friday, elders from Namukhula’s husband’s family said customs dictated that a woman could only take care of two babies at ago thus the three others needed to be “eliminated.”
They argued that elimination of the three would allow the mother to breastfeed and successfully raise the two other.
As at Friday Namukhula had not breastfed the babies for fear of the wrath of the anscestors.
Another elder said the mother of nine needed to be applied with special traditional ointment on the mammary glands so that she could begin breastfeeding the little angels.
Meanwhile, MTRH CEO Wilson Aruasa said three of the quintuplets were in stable but the others had been put under special care.
According to the doctor, the babies and their mother might stay at the facility for at least three months to allow doctors monitor and ensure the baby grow up well.
The babies are also said to be below the required minimum weight, a complication doctors said was caused by premature birth.
Hospital’s head of the paediatric unit, Eric Ngetich, said the children were born 10 weeks earlier and their survival chances vary according to their weights. The least of them weighed 820 grams while the heaviest 1.4 kilogram.
Do you support the elders from Namukhula’s husband’s side that three of the babies need elimination?