Dancer Kanda King leaves hospital after hip surgery
Celebrated Kenyan dancer Said Makdar Mahfuth—popularly known as Kanda King – is on the road to recovery after a difficult week in which he underwent a hip surgery.
The dancer shared video clips and pictures on his socials as he left the hospital and at home with his sons and grandchildren.
Kanda King is recuperating at home after undergoing hip replacement surgery.
Kanda King, who made a name for himself for more than two decades as one of Kenya’s top dancers, says he started experiencing groin pain for about five years on his left leg while on a tour of Norway.
He later learnt that he had injured his hips during his dancing performances, including performing acrobatic stunts.
“I started feeling pain while on a tour with my band in Norway where we used to have a minimum of three shows a day. I went and saw a doctor who advised me to be warming up before I go on stage. But because I had been doing this all my life, I ignored his advice,” he disclosed during an interview with the Nairobi News.
He underwent surgery on his right hip where his cartilage, which was damaged, was removed and replaced with viable, fresh allograft (donor) cartilage.
He was told he needed to replace both hips, each hip replacement (arthroplasty) for Sh495,000.
To replace both hips, he needs at least Sh1 million and he is currently fundraising and he is doing what most Kenyans do and appealing for financial help from well-wishers.
Kanda King who started dancing more than two decades says he started experiencing groin pain about five years ago on his left leg while on a tour in Norway, only later to learn that he had injured his hips during his heydays when he was entertaining people, including performing acrobatic stunts.
“I started feeling pain while on tour with my band in Norway where we used to have a minimum of three shows a day. I went and saw a doctor who advised me to be warming up before I go on stage. But because I had been doing this all my life I ignored his advice.”
A year later he started to limp but still despite the pain, he still went back and performed. “This has been my life, yes I was feeling some pain but I still got on stage and did what I love doing,” he says.
Last year, he visited PCEA Kikuyu Hospital when the pain became unbearable and when the doctor saw the X-ray results, he said he should undergo surgery, failing which he would end up in a wheelchair for the rest of his life.
In two months he is expected to be operated on his left hip.