The National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Health probe into alleged organ harvesting at Mediheal Group of Hospitals took a new turn on August 28 as lawmakers went after three Eldoret hospitals.
Mediheal Group of Hospitals, St. Luke’s Orthopaedic and Trauma Hospital, and Oak Tree Hospital were questioned in the organ harvesting probe after revelations that foreign nationals underwent transplants funded by the defunct National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF).
“Hospital administrators of the two facilities admitted that some of their facilities had performed transplants on foreign nationals, mainly Somalis who were registered and paid through the defunct National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF),” confirmed the parliamentary report.
Organ harvesting claims addressed
St. Luke’s admitted to conducting 34 kidney transplants, five of them involving Somali nationals.
The hospital stated that Oak Tree Medical Centre was responsible for identifying and pairing donors with recipients, as well as handling pre-operative processes.
“Among the patients you’ve done kidney transplants, do we have foreigners?” Endebess MP Dr. Robert Pukose asked during a visit to the facility on Thursday.
“Yes. Five patients were from Somalia,” replied Dr. Silvia Nikita of St. Luke’s.
Concerns Over Donor Origins and Consent
Legislators raised concerns about whether donors were genuinely related to recipients and questioned the role of Oak Tree in donor identification.
The MPs also questioned why some laboratory samples were outsourced abroad when local facilities were available.
“We are not new to the fact that there has been a lot of talk about kidney selling. We want assurance that what you are doing here follows national guidelines,” Seme MP Dr. James Nyikal remarked
Hospital officials admitted complications in some cases, including instances of organ rejection, surgical bleeding, and one donor who developed acute kidney injury before recovery.
They also acknowledged gaps in follow-up and coordination, citing reliance on Oak Tree for nephrology services.
Hospitals Deny Malpractice, Senate Demands Records
While the hospitals denied engaging in organ harvesting malpractice, they maintained that all procedures were conducted in accordance with Kenyan law, including the Health Act 2017 and the Human Tissues Act.
Also Read: Duale Shuts Down Mediheal Kidney Transplant Services
However, the MPs demanded full disclosure of transplant records, including donor and recipient details, to establish whether guidelines were observed.
The committee is expected to hear from victims, donors, and the chairman of the Mediheal Group.
Duale suspends transplant services at Mediheal Group of Hospitals
This follows a decision by the Health Cabinet Secretary, Aden Duale, to suspend all kidney transplant services at Mediheal Group of Hospitals in April 2025.
The CS indicated that the move was due to serious concerns over ethical breaches and possible malpractice.
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The suspension took effect immediately, pending further investigations into the hospital’s transplant procedures and the organ harvesting claims.
Additionally, two top ministry officials linked to the saga were suspended.
Patients seeking kidney transplant services have been advised to visit any other licensed facilities cleared to conduct such procedures within the country, including Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, and Aga Khan University Hospital.
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