NAIROBI, Kenya — An independent task force, established by Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale to investigate alleged malpractice within kidney transplant services at the Mediheal Group of Hospitals, started its operations on Thursday, June 5, 2025.
The Independent Investigative Committee on Tissue and Organ Transplant Services, under the leadership of Prof Elizabeth Bukusi, convened its inaugural session in Vihiga on Thursday.
Following this initial meeting, the committee is scheduled to hold subsequent public sittings in Bomet, Meru, Uasin Gishu, Kisii, Nakuru, Kisumu, and Nairobi. The final public hearing is slated for Mombasa on June 27.
The task force’s mandate includes a thorough investigation of Kenya’s existing legal and regulatory framework governing tissue and organ transplants.
Furthermore, the committee is expected to engage with donors, recipients, and medical professionals involved in transplant procedures over the past five years.
This engagement aims to ascertain whether any instances of commercialization, coercion, or violations of the Human Tissue Act have occurred.
Concurrently, the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Health, chaired by Seme MP James Nyikal, is conducting a parallel 90-day investigation into allegations of illegal organ transplants and trafficking.
This parliamentary inquiry follows an exposé by the German broadcaster Deutsche Welle, which alleged that Mediheal Hospital has been harvesting kidneys from Kenyans for Ksh 294,000 and subsequently selling them abroad for prices reaching up to Ksh 3.2 million.
