The Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) says it delayed the surgical removal of a fork hoe lodged in a child's head to avert endangering his life.
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.
"The patient had lost a lot of blood, and as a result, the clotting process was not occurring as expected, thereby, delaying the surgical procedure as this would have been dangerous to the patient," KNH said in a statement posted on its official Twitter page on Tuesday, October 11.
"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."
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.
The boy was first attended to at the Thika Level 5 Hospital, and thereafter referred to KNH.