Controversial tweet sparks medics council investigation into Dr Mbiti's conduct

The Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC) has initiated investigations on Dr Dennis Mbiti, also known as ‘Mbiti Mwondi MD’ on X, following a controversial tweet he posted.

Allegations of malpractice were raised by the public after he posted photos of newly born twins; a boy and a girl whom he delivered via C-Section, on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).

Further, in his post, Mbiti claimed that he delivered the boy first intending to confer him the elderly status.

In a letter addressed to Mbiti, the Council stated that it had received an anonymous letter on March 4, in which the writer accused Mbiti of breaching his patient’s confidentiality, a move that prompted the investigation.

The council chaired by its Chief Executive Officer David Kariuki now demands Mbiti to submit documentation and a statement in response to the allegations by Friday.

“The attention of the Council has been drawn to an anonymous letter dated March 4 2024 referenced as ‘Urgent: Professional violation of professional ethics- request for investigation’. The anonymous writer alleges that you breached patient confidentiality by posting on the social media platform “X” photos of newly born twins that you extracted without written consent and that you purportedly intentionally delivered the male baby first, with intentions of conferring on him an elderly status. The letter further alleges that efforts to urge you to withdraw the post were disregarded,” read the letter by the Council.

“Consequently, in line with the mandate of regulating the practices of medicine, dentistry and health facilities and to facilitate a comprehensive investigation into the allegations, you are required to submit a comprehensive statement in response to the allegations raised by the general public and any other relevant document(s) or information that will assist the investigations by the close of business of Friday, March 8.”

Mbiti on March 3 made a post on X revealing that he had just performed a C-Section on a mother (carrying a boy and a girl) and confessing to having intentionally extracted the baby boy first so that 'he'd be called the elder of the two', a post which he later deleted.

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"A few minutes ago 2:00 am in theatre via CS, I just extracted the most beautiful twins I have ever seen; a boy and a girl. I intentionally extracted the baby boy first so that he'd be called the elder one of the two. Boy child for boy child. Couldn't help but ask the mum to consent..." he tweeted, while attaching a photo of the newborn twins, whose faces he covered up.

Mbiti has since claimed that the statement was made ‘jokingly’ but, his post attracted reactions from netizens worldwide, including an Ireland-based doctor, Yusuf Mahat who called him out for his apparent recklessness.

"You can't possibly choose who to extract first. You always start with the presenting twin. Reaching out to extract a boy who might be far away can cause serious maternal-fetal harm. Let's be cautious and maintain the dignity of our profession. Especially now that there's turmoil! Choosing who to extract first is not a MEDICAL decision. Sad!" wrote Mahat.

As it seems, the issue was not only addressed on the socials but also forwarded to the Council which has since launched its investigations.

Legally, if one wants to post someone’s child, then they should have a signed (or video) consent from the parent(s) of the child.

In Mbiti’s case, it is yet to be identified if there is any proof of consent from the mother as he claims.

Additionally, when delivering twins, the presenting child is to be extracted first and so is any delivery that involves multiple fetuses. If investigations prove that he did extract the boy first to accord him the elderly status, he could have a case to answer.

Mbiti is a practising medic based in Bungoma.