Nairobi Hospital Performs East Africa's First Robotic Knee Surgery

For years, Kenyans suffering from severely damaged knees faced a painful choice: endure the agony or travel thousands of miles abroad for specialized treatment.

That changed when Metropolitan Hospital in Nairobi partnered with India's Marengo Asia Hospital to perform the region's first robotic-assisted knee replacement surgeries. The groundbreaking procedures took place in December 2024 and January 2025, marking a new era for medical care across East and Central Africa.

Knee replacement surgery helps people whose joints are so damaged that simple activities like walking become excruciating. The damage often comes from years of wear and tear, serious accidents, sports injuries, or inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis. Until now, the lack of specialized equipment meant patients had no choice but to seek treatment overseas.

The robotic technology changes everything. According to Dr. Faraj Alkizim of Metropolitan Hospital, the robotic assistance helps surgeons create patient-specific surgical plans and prepare bones with remarkable precision. This leads to better alignment and positioning of implants, which means better outcomes for patients.

Metropolitan Hospital's CEO emphasized that these surgeries represent more than 30 years of investment in clinical training, infrastructure, and medical technology. The partnership with Marengo Asia Hospital provided crucial clinical training and support to ensure the complex procedures could be delivered safely and consistently.

The Ripple Effect

This achievement reaches far beyond two successful surgeries. By building local capacity for specialized medical care, Metropolitan Hospital is keeping patients close to their families during recovery and saving them the enormous expense of international medical travel.

The success demonstrates how strategic partnerships and innovation can transform healthcare access across entire regions. Other hospitals in East and Central Africa may soon follow, creating a network of advanced care centers that keep patients home.

Families who once faced impossible choices between pain and prohibitively expensive foreign treatment now have a third option: world-class care in their own city.