The entrance to Mediheal Hospital and Fertility Centre in Eldoret town, Uasin Gishu County on June 20, 2022.
Witnesses in the alleged human organ trafficking in Eldoret are facing threats following fresh investigations against hospitals over suspicious kidney transplants, rights activists in the North Rift have claimed.
They claim some agents of the hospitals facing investigations have pitched camp in Eldoret city, trying to lure victims with bribes and offers to get them out of the country.
The rights groups want those who will assist in the fresh investigation ordered by the government to be placed under the Witness Protection Agency.
“The perpetrators have put on spirited efforts to reach witnesses to offer them bribes and job opportunities in an attempt to lure them to drop their testimonies, and even death threats to destroy every piece of evidence,” claimed the activists led by Kipkorir Ngetich, Director Center for Human Rights and Democracy (CHRD) in Eldoret.
Mediheal Fertility and Transplant Centre in Eldoret has been implicated in the suspicious kidney transplants involving foreign recipients. The hospital management has, however, denied any wrongdoing and alleged a smear campaign to discredit the institution.
Witness protection
Rights groups have petitioned the government to place possible witnesses under witness protection.
“It should be noted that there has been a spirited effort by perpetrators to intimidate and bribe the witnesses with millions of shillings and to ensure that they are either sneaked out of the country or eliminated to conceal evidence,” Mr Ngetich claimed.
The rights groups have petitioned Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen and Inspector General of Police (IG) Douglas Kanja to urgently offer security to potential witnesses.
“The investigations should be extended to some dishonest security officers, doctors and ministry of Health officials who offered a safe environment and sanctuary for the crime to be committed,” added Mr Ngetich.
The Kenya Renal Association (KRA) raised concerns over alleged unethical transplant activities at Mediheal Hospital in Eldoret two years ago and demanded an investigation.
“Recent activities at Mediheal Hospital, Eldoret, have raised serious ethical concerns. Reports indicate an increasing trend of transplant commercialization and transplant tourism at the facility, involving the sale of kidneys and the importation of patients for transplantation. This is in direct violation of the World Health Organization resolutions, the Declaration of Istanbul, and Kenya's Health Act of 2017, which prohibits organ trade,” said a statement by Dr Jonathan Wallah, the KRA chairperson.
“Kidney donors play an essential role in transplantation, receiving no physical benefits and relying solely on the psychological and spiritual satisfaction of aiding another. Ethical handling and extensive pre-and post-operative care are crucial to ensuring their health and well-being,” said the statement.
According to the association, unethical practices undermine the trust in voluntary donation, leading to a decrease in willing donors and increasing the costs associated with organ transplants.
“What happens fosters a harmful black market for organs with potential risks including human trafficking and violence,” added the statement.
Clerics from the North Rift region have also alleged cover-up of the organ trafficking scandal.
Eldoret Catholic Diocese Bishop Dominic Kimengich said high taxation, poverty, oppression and the greed for money were driving many people into illegal trading in human organs.
“The greed for money is destroying our country and that is not the right way to go. God wants us to have a country that is peaceful and united. Where every person is respected and not what we are now witnessing,” said Bishop Kimengich of Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral.
“We cannot allow human organ trafficking to continue in our country and we are asking those entrusted with leadership to address issues affecting the marginalized and the poor,” appealed Bishop Kimengich.
“Illegal harvesting of human organs is the consequence of lack of planning to guarantee equality for all and prosperity for our country. A country will be measured on how it treats the sick, the poor who cannot afford a meal and the oppressed,” he said.
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has already suspended two doctors who led the technical team that investigated Mediheal in December 2023 and ordered fresh investigations into the allegation of organ trafficking at the facility.
President Ruto has since suspended Mr Swarup Misra, the founder of Mediheal group of hospitals, as Kenya BioVax Institute board chairman, as investigations into illegal kidney transplants get underway.
He said the suspension would remain in force during investigations into ‘serious allegations of unethical and illegal activities at the hospital.’
