Eric Omondi rallies support for Mercy Kanini after losing her 5 babies
By Ascah Mwango, September 16, 2026Comedian turned philanthropist Eric Omondi has appealed to Kenyans to support Mercy Kanini, the Juja mother who has lost all five of her newborn babies following a rare quintuplet birth.
In a statement shared on his Instagram page on Wednesday, September 16, Omondi asked Kenyans to stand with Kanini as she comes to terms with the loss and prepares to bury her children.
“Hey guys Mercy Kanini is a NATIONAL TREASURE. She lost all the 5 babies. Let’s stand with her. We might not bring back her children but we can help her give them a respectable send-off and also open a business for her,” Omondi stated.
He shared Kanini’s phone number and urged those willing to help to send whatever they could directly to her, saying the support would help her through the difficult period ahead.
The appeal came hours after Kenyatta National Hospital confirmed that all five babies had died.
What happened to Mercy Kanini’s babies
Kanini, a mother from Juja in Kiambu County, made headlines earlier this week after giving birth to quintuplets at Thika Level Five Hospital.
The delivery was particularly rare because she gave birth to five babies naturally. The newborns comprised four girls and one boy and were delivered at an extremely premature gestational age of about 25 weeks. Reports on the delivery date have differed, with several reports placing the birth on September 13 or 14.
Because of their extremely low birth weights and need for specialised neonatal care, the babies were transferred to KNH shortly after delivery. KNH said the babies weighed between 630 grammes and 800 grammes and faced serious medical challenges associated with extreme prematurity.
The joy surrounding the rare birth was, however, painfully short-lived.
Four of the babies died first, leaving the baby boy as the only surviving infant. The family and members of the public continued hoping that he would pull through, but KNH confirmed on Wednesday that the fifth baby had also died.
According to the hospital, its multidisciplinary neonatal team, including neonatologists, nurses and other health professionals, provided specialised care to the newborns from the time they were admitted. Despite the medical intervention, none of the five babies survived.