The government has constituted a 13-member committee to investigate allegations of illegal organ transplants and trafficking at Mediheal Group of Hospitals following an exposé by international broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW).
In a Gazette Notice released Wednesday, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale appointed Prof. Elizabeth Bukusi to chair the Independent Investigative Committee on Tissue and Organ Transplant Services, which will conduct a thorough probe into the claims and assess compliance across all health facilities offering transplant services in the country.
Other members of the committee include Dr. Jonathan Wala Ameyo, Prof. Ahmed Sokwala, Dr. Prexedes Okutoyi, Dr. Patrick Mburugu, Dr. Noelle Atieno Orata, Dr. Ann Kasyoka Barasa, Dr. Diviner Kemunto Nyarera, Dr. Wendy Kimbui, Sara Talaso Bonaya, Dr. Charles Kandie, Joseph Ndirangu and Larica Onam.
The committee’s secretariat comprises Dr. Stella Kanja, Rueben Tulei and Jedidah Effie Oduor.
The task force has been mandated to:
Investigate the legal and regulatory framework governing tissue and organ transplants in Kenya.
Examine compliance levels in all facilities offering such services.
Specifically probe Mediheal Hospital’s adherence to ethical and legal transplant protocols.
Engage with donors, recipients, and medical professionals involved in transplants over the last five years.
Determine if there were cases of commercialisation, coercion, or breaches of the Human Tissue Act.
These developments come in the wake of serious claims that Mediheal has been harvesting kidneys from vulnerable Kenyans for Ksh.294,000 and selling them abroad for as much as Ksh.3.2 million.
In response, CS Duale has suspended all kidney transplant procedures at Mediheal Hospitals until investigations are concluded.
Patients in need of transplant services have been advised to seek care at any of the eight approved facilities: Kenyatta National Hospital, Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, Aga Khan University Hospital, MP Shah Hospital, Nairobi Hospital, St Luke’s Hospital–Eldoret, Nairobi West Hospital and Mater Hospital.
Meanwhile, the Mediheal Group has dismissed the DW report, calling the allegations false and unsubstantiated. In a statement, Mediheal founder Dr. Swarup Mishra said: “These claims are entirely unfounded and are not supported by any credible evidence. We remain committed to delivering ethical, safe, and world-class healthcare.”
Group Vice President of Operations, Maryline Limo, also maintained the hospital’s compliance with all legal and ethical standards, stating that the institution does not engage in the commercial sale of organs.
In a further escalation, President William Ruto has suspended Dr. Mishra from his role as Chairperson of the Kenya BioVax Institute, pending the outcome of the probe.
Meanwhile, the National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Health has launched a parallel public inquiry into the alleged malpractice.
The investigative committee is expected to conclude its work within three months, after which a report will be submitted with recommendations on legal and regulatory reforms to enhance transparency and safeguard ethical practices in organ transplants.