The troubles facing former Kesses MP Dr Swarup Mishra have deepened after auctioneers listed several of his prime Eldoret properties for sale over multimillion-shilling loan arrears.
Financial problems for the former legislator and proprietor of the once-thriving Mediheal Group of Hospitals escalated last year when auctioneers sought to dispose of properties he allegedly used as collateral for bank loans.
However, High Court Judge Reuben Nyakundi temporarily halted the process, noting that the bank had not provided sufficient evidence to prove the loan was secured using the said properties.
Among the assets listed for sale is a 0.5336-hectare parcel of land registered under Mediheal Hospital and Fertility Centre Ltd, developed with commercial buildings and currently operating as a hospital.
Another parcel, measuring 0.2421 hectares and featuring a five-storey hospital building plus a double-storey pharmacy and laboratory block, has also been put up for auction.
A residential maisonette measuring 0.6500 hectares and registered under Swarup Ranjan Mishra and Pallavi is also on the auction list.
Additionally, a 1.249-hectare property in Kipkorgot along the Kaptagat–Eldoret road, as well as a 3.91-hectare farm in Mogobich, Uasin Gishu County, are set to go under the hammer. Further parcels in Pioneer and Ngeria within Eldoret Municipality have also been earmarked for sale.
The National Assembly Committee on Health revealed during a visit last year that Mediheal Hospital was owed Sh51 million by the defunct National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), worsening its financial situation.
Organ trafficking scandal
An 18-member team appointed by Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale to investigate organ trafficking claims reported findings suggesting possible illegal organ trade at the facility.
Mediheal Group of Hospitals founder Swarup Mishra.
Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group
The team recommended the investigation of four senior hospital officials in relation to alleged unlawful kidney transplants and contravention of medical and ethical standards.
Selling human organs in Kenya is illegal, though enforcement remains difficult.
There is currently no law permitting the purchase of organs from willing donors. Reports from the Kenyatta National Hospital indicate rising numbers of individuals seeking to sell their kidneys or inquire about prices—a practice that remains prohibited.
“Please note that organ sale is strictly prohibited and illegal. You can only donate voluntarily and not sell,” reads the advisory from hospital management. “Only relatives of the patient may donate kidneys,” it adds.
The United Nations and the World Health Organization have both raised concern over the growing global market for illegal organs, warning that it exploits vulnerable populations, especially in low-income countries, and fuels organized crime.
In 2019, the Ministry of Health established the National Blood Transfusion Services and Human Organs Transplantation Unit to implement the 2017 Health Act and develop organ donation regulations. The framework would allow individuals to voluntarily pledge their organs before death for medical use or transplants.
According to the programme’s director, Dr Nduku Kilonzo, groundwork is ongoing to strengthen support systems for legal organ transplants in the country.
Mediheal Group of Hospitals Chairman Dr Swarup Mishra speaks during a press briefing at a hotel in Nairobi on July 29, 2025.
Photo credit: Wilfred Nyangaresi | Nation Media Group
“Let the law take its course. I am prepared to face consequences if found guilty,” he said in an earlier interview.
He noted that Mediheal has conducted 476 kidney transplants since 2018—371 for Kenyans and 105 for foreign patients—with a mortality rate of less than 10 percent. Transplant charges, he said, range from US$35,000 (Sh4.5m) for foreigners and US$25,000 (Sh3.2m) for Africans, compared to up to US$150,000 (Sh19.4m) in overseas hospitals.
