Woman who lost pregnancy after being assaulted cries for justice

A grieving family in Maua, Meru County is seeking justice for their 32-year-old kin who lost her pregnancy after she was allegedly assaulted by another woman following a business row.

Ms Zahra Jamal claims the unprovoked attack occasioned the death of the 38-week fetus a week ago.

She claims her attacker assaulted her with blows and kicks to the stomach, with the assailant stamping on her abdomen with her knees.

Doctors at Maua Methodist Hospital delivered the stillborn, a 3.8 kilogramme male baby, through caesarian section in a bid to save the mother.

Speaking after a postmortem on the baby, medics said the fetus died in the stomach after suffering trauma on the head, stomach and a dislocated jaw.

Pathologists Ayub Gitaka Macharia and Edwin Walong, who performed the autopsy, said the fetus was in good health and was due in two weeks.

Ultrasound examination

"The baby died in the womb and the death was caused by multiple blunt trauma, due to the attack the mother suffered. The fetus had multiple injuries which caused bleeding in the abdomen, head and a dislocated jaw,” said Dr Macharia.

Mr Mahmoud Hussein, a family member, recounted how he found Ms Jamal lying in a pool of blood.

He took the woman to Maua Police Station before proceeding to Maua Methodist Hospital where she was admitted in the maternity wing.

An ultrasound examination revealed that the fetus was dead.

“There is no cardiac activity or movement seen. The fetus is in a flexed position with a collapsing skull,” the medics said.

The family now wants the culprit arrested. They claim no action has been taken against the attacker, one week after the incident.

“We are seeking justice for our relative. A baby is dead and we are disheartened by the fact that the culprit is still walking free in Maua town," a relative by the name Sofia Adan Noor said.