KNH says boy with jembe lodged in head died of brain injuries, infection

The Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) says a 2-year-old boy who had fork jembe lodged in his head died of injuries in his brain and a resultant infection.

According to a Wednesday statement issued by the hospital, the boy arrived at the KNH on Monday, October 10 at 6:30pm.

He had been referred by the Thika Level 5 Hospital, where he'd received emergency care.

However, KNH says the circumstances and the timing of the injury remained unclear.

"He was received at the Accident and Emergency Department, and our team, including the consultant Neurosurgeons, immediately commenced treatment and investigations to determine the safest management approach," said George Ooko, the chairperson of the KNH Board of Management.

Ooko further explained that clinical examinations and investigations, including CT scans and blood tests, were conducted confirming that the fork jembe had caused an injury in the child's brain.

"The ability of his blood to clot was impaired, requiring correction before any surgical intervention. A process of correcting the detected anomalies by giving blood products and medication, while monitoring the patient's response was immediately commenced," said Ooko.

He added: "The patient's condition continued to deteriorate despite the interventions. However, the blood deficit and clotting became acceptable by 8am yesterday (Tuesday, October 11) and a decision to proceed with the removal of the foreign object was made."

Unfortunately, the patient developed complications while in the theatre and efforts to resuscitate him were futile.

It remains unclear how the digging fork was lodged in the boy's head, though a section of social media reports suggest that it was an accident that occurred when the patient was playing with his peers.

Disturbing images of the boy's head wrapped in a bandage went viral online, prompting questions on why the KNH was yet to remove the fork.