Recent investigations into Mediheal Hospital in Eldoret have revealed that the majority of kidney donors involved in transplant surgeries at the facility come from Kenya’s Mountain, Northern, and Rift Valley regions. Official data covering 382 kidney transplants performed between November 2018 and March 2024 shows that about 75 percent of donors hail from these areas, with 103 donors from the Mount Kenya region, 97 from Northern Kenya, and 86 from the Rift Valley.
Mediheal Hospital was approved by the Ministry of Health in November 2018 to offer kidney transplant services. Since then, it has conducted hundreds of transplants involving both Kenyan and foreign recipients. Among foreign recipients, Israelis were the largest group with 37 transplants, followed by patients from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Burundi, South Sudan, and Japan.
The hospital charged an average of 2 million Kenyan shillings (approximately $25,000) per transplant, covering pre-surgery workups, admission, and surgical costs for both donors and recipients. However, the hospital’s transplant practices have come under intense scrutiny following allegations of organ trafficking and unethical procedures.
The controversy erupted after a German investigative documentary exposed a global organ trafficking network using Mediheal facilities to harvest kidneys from vulnerable Kenyans, who were often paid as little as KSh294,000 for their organs. These kidneys were reportedly sold to foreign recipients, including patients from Germany, Israel, and other countries.
The Kenyan government responded by suspending kidney transplant services at Mediheal and redirecting patients to other licensed hospitals such as Kenyatta National Hospital and Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital. An independent audit committee was appointed to review Mediheal’s transplant records over the past five years.
Investigations uncovered questionable practices, including donors being coerced or misled into signing consent forms falsely stating they were relatives of recipients. Some donors were reportedly underage or unaware of the full health risks involved. The hospital’s lead nephrologist was found to have an expired license, and there were concerns about the qualifications of other staff involved in the transplant program.
The predominance of donors from the Mountain, Northern, and Rift regions highlights the vulnerability of populations in these areas, who may be economically disadvantaged and targeted for organ donation. Names and medical records indicate that many donors came from these regions, suggesting a pattern of exploitation linked to socio-economic factors.
The government’s probe continues amid allegations that some official reports were doctored to downplay the severity of the malpractice at Mediheal. Suspensions of key ministry officials and calls for tighter regulation of foreign medical practitioners reflect the seriousness of the scandal.
The Mediheal case has sparked a national conversation about the need for stronger legal frameworks and ethical oversight in organ transplantation to protect vulnerable donors and uphold medical standards in Kenya.
This unfolding story underscores the complex intersection of healthcare, ethics, and socio-economic disparities in Kenya’s transplant sector, with Mediheal at the center of a scandal that has implications for the entire region.