Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) has made a groundbreaking achievement in healthcare by successfully performing Kenya’s first-ever Renal Artery Bypass Surgery.
The complex procedure was done on 24th June, 2025 by the hospital’s Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery team led by Dr. Stephen Takow.
”The patient—a 20-year-old female—was diagnosed with renovascular hypertension, caused by severe narrowing of the arteries supplying blood to her kidneys. After determining that less invasive options like angioplasty and stenting were not suitable, the surgical team opted for the bypass procedure,” MTRH said in a statement.
“She is recuperating well and has been discharged home,” the hospital added.
The surgery involves grafting a blood vessel—either from the patient or a synthetic graft—to bypass the blocked renal artery, thereby restoring normal blood flow to the kidneys.
MTRH said the historic milestone highlights their commitment to advancing specialised care and surgical innovation in Kenya and beyond.
Shoe4Africa’s first laparoscopic surgery
It comes barely three months after its Shoe4Africa Children’s Hospital successfully performed its first laparoscopic surgery.
The surgery, done on a 4-year-old boy with an undescended testis, was a milestone in pediatric surgical care at the public hospital.
According to the hospital, what would have required a large abdominal incision was instead completed through a single 5mm port and two 3mm instrument sites.
Earlier this week, the Eldoret-based public hospital also successfully conducted its first-ever Coronary Angiogram Camp. The camp was held from Friday, June 20, to Saturday, June 21, 2025.
The landmark 2-day event marked the first time such procedures have been performed in the North and Western regions of Kenya, and within a public healthcare facility.
