Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) has performed two rare nerve reconstruction surgeries on amputees. One patient is a four-year-old boy. The other is a 43-year-old painter who lost both arms. The procedure is called Targeted Sensory Reinnervation (TSR). It redirects sensory nerves so that patients may feel pressure, vibration, heat and cold through a properly fitted prosthetic limb, KBC and The Eastleigh Voice reported.
The first patient was Jeremy from Kirinyaga County. He lost his left hand in a chaff-cutter accident while playing with another child. Doctors tried and failed to reattach the hand, so it was amputated. KNH describes him as the youngest known TSR recipient in the world. Italian plastic and reconstructive surgeon Professor Alexander Gardetto led the five-and-a-half-hour operation on October 29. KNH consultant Dr Christine Nyabuto and her team assisted him.
The second patient was Charles Mogire, a painter from Ngong. In November 2025 an electrical accident took his left arm at the shoulder and his dominant right arm above the elbow. He first received emergency treatment and skin grafts at KNH. On October 30 he underwent a five-hour operation using the transhumeral version of TSR, designed for amputations above the elbow. The hospital says he is the third person in the world to have it. KNH added that the operation was quicker than the first of its kind anywhere, which took slightly over seven hours. The technique may also ease painful nerve growths called neuromas and phantom limb pain.
KNH said the Social Health Authority (SHA) covered both procedures in full. Both patients have gone home and are receiving follow-up care and rehabilitation. Professor Ferdinand Nang'ole of KNH and the University of Nairobi supervised their recovery.
Head of Specialised Surgery Dr Benjamin Wabwire said redirecting sensory nerves opens new options for people living with limb loss. Chief Executive Officer Dr Richard Lesiyampe said the procedures show that "complex and highly specialised treatments can be successfully undertaken in Kenya." Director of Clinical Services Dr Joel Lessan credited teamwork and international partnerships.
The programme is in its second year at KNH. Gardetto mentors local surgeons and shares his skills with them. Jeremy's mother, Mercy Muthoni, thanked the hospital. Mogire's wife, Beatrice Moraa, called the surgery a turning point for the family. Mogire hopes that with the right prosthetics he will regain feeling, become more independent and return to painting.