Europe1 .fr with AFP - Photo credit: Women's Hospital International and Fertility Center 16:04 p.m., December 01, 2023, modified at 16:10 p.m., December 01, 2023

A 70-year-old Ugandan woman gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl, on Wednesday. An "extraordinary feat" according to the doctor who supervised her pregnancy and delivery. The mother and babies are in good health and are still under observation at a facility in the capital Kampala.

A 70-year-old Ugandan woman has given birth to twins, "an extraordinary feat", her doctor told AFP on Thursday. "It's an extraordinary feat to give birth to twins" for a 70-year-old mother, said Dr. Edward Tamale Sali, who oversaw her pregnancy and delivery.

The mother, Safina Namukwaya, called the birth of the twins, a boy and a girl, a "miracle" on Wednesday.

Healthy Mother and Babies

The mother and babies are in good health and are still under observation at a facility in the capital Kampala, Sali said. Safina Namukwaya usually lives in the countryside of Masaka, about 120 kilometres west of the capital.

At 70 years, Safina Namukwaya delivers twins today:@WHIFCug Sets African Record! Celebrating our 20th anniversary, we've achieved the extraordinary – delivering twins to Africa's oldest mother aged 70! This a historic event#Uganda#pregnancy#ivf#fertilitypic.twitter.com/gY8K9M91cS

— Women's Hospital Int (@WHIFCug) November 29, 2023

The septuagenarian had only given birth to a daughter three years ago, after being called a "cursed woman" for failing to have a child before.

She and her first husband, who died in 1992, had no children. Safina Namukwaya's current partner, whom he met in 1996, did not come to witness the birth, much to her dismay. "Maybe he's not happy that I've given birth to twins ... for fear of the responsibilities that come with it," she said.