Kenya
It was in Kijabe, Kenya, where his commitment to helping children started for Dr. Benjamin Warf. There, in the late 1990s, he not only encountered a significant number of children with untreated hydrocephalus but often the children who had been treated with shunts suffered high complication rates. It was also in Kenya that Dr. Warf first met Dr. Pierre Mertens. A few years later, Dr. Mertens gave Dr. Warf a flexible endoscope, which, ultimately, led to the first combined ETV and CPC, the “Warf method.”
Today, pediatric health care in Kenya remains a challenge and hydrocephalus is still a concern for children and families. Access to specialized medical care remains limited, especially in rural regions where healthcare infrastructure is rudimentary. Furthermore, families grappling with the impact of hydrocephalus often face emotional and financial burdens as they navigate the complexities of securing treatment for their children.
In response to these pressing needs, NeuroKids has partnered to provide vital care and support to children with hydrocephalus and other neurological conditions.
Through strategic relationships with neurosurgeons at two hospitals, the Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital in Mombasa and Kijabe Hospital in Kijabe, NeuroKids has provided specialized surgical training, mentorship, and ongoing support to empower Kenyan neurosurgeons to deliver life-changing interventions.
Number of children who have received hydrocephalus surgeries since NeuroKids intervention:
48 Children
Since September 2023
Demographic Statistics
59,797,097
Total Population*
24,428,416
Total Pediatric Population*
0.9 – 1.4
Estimated Incidence of Hydrocephalus (per 1,000 births)
(Source: Wu VK, Poenaru D, Poley MJ. Burden of surgical congenital anomalies in Kenya: a population-based study. J Trop Pediatr. 2013 Jun;59(3):195-202. doi: 10.1093/tropej/fmt001. Epub 2013 Feb 16. PMID: 23418133; Dewan MC, Rattani A, Mekary R, Glancz LJ, Yunusa I, Baticulon RE, Fieggen G, Wellons JC, Park KB, Warf BC. Global hydrocephalus epidemiology and incidence: systematic review and meta-analysis. J Neurosurg. 2018 Apr 27;130(4):1065-1079. doi: 10.3171/2017.10.JNS17439. PMID: 29701543.)
Partner Hospitals
M O M B A S S A
Kijabe Hospital
K I J A B E
Kenyan Team
Dr. Ben Okanga
CONSULTANT NEUROSURGEON, COAST GENERAL TEACHING AND REFERRAL HOSPITAL, MOMBASA, KENYA
Dr. Benjamin Okanga is a neurosurgeon with more than ten years of experience in treating children with hydrocephalus and spina bifida. Dr. Okanga received a Master of Medicine in General Surgery in 2011 from the University of Nairobi and completed his fellowship training in Neurosurgery from COSECSA in 2015. For the past seven years, he has served as a Consultant Neurosurgeon at Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital, Mombasa, Kenya.
Dr. Okanga is a member of the Surgical Society of Kenya, the Neurological Society of Kenya, the East African Neurosurgical Society, the Spine Surgeons of Kenya Association, AO Spine International, American Association of Neurological Surgeons and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS).
Dr. Okanga’s areas of expertise include Paediatric Neurosurgery, Neuroendoscopy, and Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery. He is especially passionate about treating children.
Stories and News From Kenya
We provide training curriculums, endoscopy equipment, and remote presence technology to hospitals and surgeons in places with the greatest needs.
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