Boy struck with fork hoe by accident, family says

The Image of the boy before the surgery. [KNH Twitter]

The family of a boy who was hit on the head with a fork hoe has said there was no foul play behind the incident.

Asha Njeri, the boy's grandmother, said he died as doctors at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) operated to remove the farm implement that had lodged in his head.

Ms Njeri said the two-and-a-half-year-old boy and his brother were home alone at Ndula village, Thika East in Kiambu County. The elder brother, she said, accidentally struck the boy as he was playing.

"When the accident occurred, we were not at home. I was called by a neighbour who heard the boy crying," said Njeri.

The boy's mother, Judy Muthoni, was also away when the incident happened.

Thika East sub-County Police Commander Lazarus Wambua said the incident was yet to be officially reported to the authorities hence they were treating it as a family matter.

Mr Wambua, who spoke through the telephone, said they had received a report that the child was playing with his five-year-old brother when the tragedy occurred. "The deceased passed in front of his elder brother as they were playing and the fork hoe accidentally landed on the kid's head. That's the information I received from the area assistant chief concerning the incident."

Mr Wambua said they had not started investigations because they understand the death was not intentional

Villagers who responded to the boy's cry rushed him to a nearby clinic but due to the severity of the injury, a medical officer and the boy's mother rushed him to Thika Level 5 Hospital.

At the hospital, a CT scan was done before the boy was referred to KNH.

After a photo of the boy with the fork hoe sticking out of the back of his head went viral, social media users accused the hospital management of dragging its feet before treating him.

But the hospital released a statement explaining that the boy had lost a lot of blood and as a result, the clotting process had not occurred as expected.

The hospital said that the nature of the deep cut into the skull had delayed surgery because it would have been dangerous to the patient.

"The patient has since been stabilised and is currently undergoing a delicate operation in KNH theatres. We assure you that the child is under the best care by our teams," the hospital's communication team said.

Yesterday, KNH explained how doctors lost the boy as they tried to save his life.

"Clinical examination and investigations on the patient, including CT scan and blood tests, confirmed penetrating injury into the brain, brain swelling with ongoing bleeding and possible infection," KNH board chairman George Ooko said in a statement.

Mr Ooko said the ability of the boy's blood to clot was impaired, requiring corrective measures before any surgical intervention could be undertaken.

The boy's condition continued to deteriorate despite the interventions, he noted.

According to Ooko, a decision was reached on Tuesday morning to remove the fork hoe after the patient achieved acceptable blood and clotting levels.

"In theatre, the patient developed complications and resuscitation attempts were futile. Following the demise, the parents were invited for family conference where the chronology of actions was discussed and explained to them as the news of the death was communicated," he said.

Last evening, the family was pleading for financial help to bury the child.

The grandmother said Muthoni, her daughter-in-law, was a single mother who worked as a casual labourer in the village and could not raise money required for the burial.

"The tragedy has taken a toll on us and especially my daughter-in-law. She is not even able to speak at the moment. It's very painful. We are only asking well-wishers to help us foot the cost of laying our boy to rest," Njeri said.

Burial preparations will start today in Ndula.