The recent findings by the Independent Investigative Committee on Tissue and Organ Transplant Services have cast a heavy shadow over Mediheal Group of Hospitals and its founder, Dr. Swarup Mishra.
In a detailed 314-page report presented to Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, the committee has called for urgent investigations and possible criminal charges against Mishra over allegations of organ trafficking.
This scandal centers around kidney transplants conducted at Mediheal Hospital in Eldoret and reveals a disturbing pattern of exploitation and irregularities.
According to the report, Mediheal accounted for 417 out of 452 total kidney donors and 340 out of 447 transplant recipients recorded during the investigation, which spanned from 2018 to March 2025.
This means that over 80% of the kidney transplants investigated were conducted at Mediheal alone, raising serious questions about how such a large number of surgeries could have taken place without catching the attention of regulators.
Shockingly, the data also shows that 38.94% of the recipients had unknown residency status, a red flag suggesting that many were undocumented or purposely unrecorded to avoid scrutiny.
Even more troubling is the fact that a large portion of the donors were poor young people, many of whom claim they were lured with promises of cash and taken advantage of due to their vulnerable situations.
Some say they were paid Ksh.400,000 for their kidneys, while the hospital allegedly made profits close to Ksh.30 million from each transplant especially from wealthy patients both within Kenya and abroad.
This points to a deeply unethical and possibly illegal trade where the poor are used as a source of organs for the benefit of the rich.
The committee found serious documentation issues at Mediheal, including repeated use of the same name, believed to be an “online freelancer,” across multiple forms. Donors and recipients were also described vaguely as “mutual friends,” and one surgeon alongside one anesthesiologist reportedly handled 24 transplants in just 14 days raising both safety and legality concerns.
It appears that Mediheal was running what looks like a high-volume transplant factory under the cover of medical tourism, where people from countries like Israel and Uganda came for organs.
Mediheal’s nephrologist Dr. A.S. Murthy was also singled out for allegedly operating a solo system in a procedure that normally requires full team coordination.
Alongside Dr. Murthy, the report recommends further investigation and possible prosecution of Dr. Sananda Bag and Dr. Vijay Kumar, who are also part of the transplant team.
The report questions not only the conduct of these doctors but also the complicity of the regulatory body, KMPDC, for failing to act on previous complaints.
The report does not spare the Kenya Medical Laboratory Technicians and Technologists Board either, as the lab used in India for testing was never registered locally. These gaps have allowed questionable transplant activities to continue unchecked, while those responsible made millions.
The committee strongly recommends the continued suspension of Mediheal Hospital until all investigations are concluded and further calls for the creation of a National Organ Transplant Authority and a National Transplant Coordination Centre to monitor and regulate such services more effectively.
Health CS Duale has promised that this report will not gather dust, saying it will be taken to Parliament and the Cabinet for immediate action.
This scandal hits hard at Dr. Swarup Mishra, who for years projected himself as a philanthropist and healthcare provider, yet now finds himself at the center of one of Kenya’s darkest health sector scandals.
The exploitation of desperate people for profit is a serious crime, and if these allegations are proven, it will mark a disgraceful fall for both Mishra and the medical institutions that enabled this abuse to happen for so long.
Add Comment