The Kenyatta National Hospital has entered history books by performing the world’s first Transhumeral TSR surgery. This is a surgical procedure that involves the restoring of the sensation to the stump of an amputated left arm.
The surgery was performed on 22-year-old Moses Mwendwa in April 2025. Moses had lost his arm due to compartment syndrome after he sustained a fall on the stairs after a church service in Ziwani, Nairobi, in January 2025.
Compartment syndrome is a medical condition that occurs when there is a buildup of pressure around your muscles that is usually extremely painful. This pressure reduces the flow of blood, fresh oxygen and nutrients to your muscles and nerves. An acute compartment syndrome is considered to be a life-threatening medical emergency.
Moses had been admitted at Kenyatta following an emergency referral. “After inconclusive diagnoses at two facilities, he was rushed to KNH, where doctors conducted emergency surgeries that ultimately led to the amputation of his dominant arm on January 24,” KNH stated. The first surgery was a six-hour debridement on January 19 which was followed by a 2.5 hour amputation on January 24.
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These surgeries were then followed by the world’s first Transhumeral TSR surgery which Moses underwent on April 29.
“We have performed the world’s first Transhumeral Targeted Sensory Reinnervation (TSR) surgery on Moses Mwendwa, 22, restoring sensation in his missing left hand. This groundbreaking seven-hour procedure reroutes nerves to create a sensory map that enables touch perception and better prosthetic control,” the national referral hospital said in a statement.
This surgical procedure lasted for seven hours and was led by Professor Ferdinand Nang’ole who is the Consultant Plastic Surgeon at the Kenyatta National Hospital and the University of Nairobi, and Dr. Benjamin Wabwire who is the Head of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the Kenyatta National Hospital, and Professor Alexander Gardetto who is a Plastic and Reconstructive surgery specialist.
They were supported by Dr. Dorsi Jowi who is a consultant plastic surgeon at KNH, Dr. Christine Nyabuto who is the chief resident in plastic surgery at the University of Nairobi, and Dr. Rachel Machiya who is a resident orthopaedic surgeon from the University of Nairobi.
