A team of surgeons at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) has achieved a world first by restoring the sensation of touch to the stump of an amputated arm, offering new hope to amputees globally.
The groundbreaking procedure, called Transhumeral Targeted Sensory Reinnervation (TSR), was successfully performed on 29 April on Moses Mwendwa, a 22-year-old Kenyan university student whose left arm had been amputated in January.
AllAfrica reports that Mwendwa had slipped and fallen after a church service in Nairobi’s Ziwani neighbourhood, yet what initially seemed minor turned into a medical emergency – a rare but serious condition called compartment syndrome developed, cutting off blood flow to his left arm.
Despite initial consultations at two different hospitals, the diagnosis was delayed. He was finally taken to KNH, where surgeons performed emergency procedures. But by 24 January, his arm had to be amputated.
Reconnective procedure
During the seven-hour surgery last month, the team reconnected severed nerves during the amputation to nearby skin, allowing the brain to feel as if the missing limb is still intact.
“When I touched the skin near my stump and felt it in my fingers, I was stunned. It felt as if a part of me had returned,” Mwendwa told CapitalFM.
Led by plastic surgeon Professor Ferdinand Nang'ole and Dr Benjamin Wabwire, alongside visiting Italian specialist Professor Alexander Gardetto, the multidisciplinary team conducted the complex procedure during Africa’s inaugural TSR surgical camp hosted at KNH.
KNH CEO Dr Evanson Kamuri hailed the accomplishment as a triumph of innovation and teamwork: “This is a milestone that cements our position as a leader in specialised care and medical research in Africa.”
“This is not just about science. It’s about restoring humanity – one nerve, one touch at a time,” Wabwire said.
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