After spending two decades bedridden due to a devastating spinal illness, a 52-year-old man from Kiambu County is finally walking again, thanks to the efforts of medical specialists at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH).
In a statement on Tuesday, November 11, KNH revealed how its team helped Ibrahim Mungai reclaim his mobility after 20 years of immobility caused by tuberculosis of the spine.
"After 20 years in bed, Ibrahim Mungai (52 years) is walking back to life. In 2004, tuberculosis of the spine left him bedridden. For over two decades, in Kikuyu, Kiambu County, he faced the immense challenges of immobility and the secondary health issues that followed," the statement read.
KNH explained that Mungai’s condition worsened over the years, leading to severe infections and kidney complications that threatened his life.
However, the hospital's medical team mounted an intensive recovery plan that eventually pulled Mungai back from the brink.
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"In July 2025, his journey took a critical turn when he was referred to Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH). He arrived fighting for his life with severe pressure sores, a rampant Urinary Tract Infection, and failing kidneys. The situation became so dire he fell into a deep, 3-day coma.
"But our medical team refused to give up. After six intensive dialysis sessions, a miracle happened: Ibrahim woke up. He then bravely underwent a 2-hour surgery on August 4th, 2025 to address a serious scrotal infection and began the long road to recovery," the statement added.
KNH credited the successful outcome to a multidisciplinary approach that went beyond surgery to focus on rehabilitation and holistic recovery.
Today, Mungai has regained much of his independence and mobility, an outcome once thought impossible.
"A dedicated team of wound care nurses, physiotherapists, counsellors, and nutritionists worked with him for three months to heal not just his body, but his spirit. The results? Nothing short of amazing.
"After more than twenty years, Ibrahim can now sit up on his own, move independently in a wheelchair and stand on his own two feet. He is now actively and joyfully working to walk again," the statement further read.
Speaking about his renewed lease on life, Mungai expressed immense gratitude and hope for the future.
"I have gotten a positive overview about life. I want to go back to my community and continue with my cobbler business," he said.
This comes weeks after a team of surgeons at KNH performed an operation to remove more than 20 kilograms of breast tissue from a 17-year-old girl suffering from a medical condition known as gigantomastia.
In a statement on Wednesday, October 23, the hospital said the surgery took 11 hours to complete and is believed to be one of the most extensive surgeries of its kind globally.
"A team of dedicated surgeons and medical staff at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) has given a 17-year-old girl the gift of a normal life. In a landmark procedure believed to be the largest of its kind in the world, the team successfully removed 20.86 kilograms of breast tissue from Lydia Musivi, who suffered from a severe and rare condition known as gigantomastia.
"The 11-hour surgery, performed on September 22, 2025, has freed Lydia from a debilitating condition that forced her to abandon her studies and dreams. The weight of the tissue removed was equivalent to 37% of her total body weight, a physical and emotional burden she had carried for 18 months," the statement read.
According to KNH, Lydia’s condition caused rapid and abnormal breast growth, resulting in chronic pain, skin infections, and emotional distress.
"Lydia's condition caused extreme, rapid breast growth, leading to chronic pain, skin infections, and profound emotional distress. The simple act of walking and standing up straight had become a struggle, and her hope for a future was fading," the statement added.
After the successful operation, Lydia expressed her relief and optimism about returning to school and pursuing her dreams.
"The weight is now over. I feel free, lighter, and ready to return to school. I can finally live the life I was meant to live and follow my dream of becoming a high school teacher," she said.
