NAIROBI – A government-appointed task force has begun a sweeping investigation into alleged malpractice in Kenya’s kidney transplant system, launching public hearings today in the western county of Vihiga.
The probe follows explosive allegations that vulnerable Kenyans may have been pressured or tricked into selling their kidneys, with some reportedly ending up in overseas markets for profit.
At the centre of the storm is the Mediheal Group of Hospitals, one of the country’s largest private healthcare providers, which is under scrutiny after an international exposé by German broadcaster Deutsche Welle accused it of harvesting organs from low-income Kenyans for as little as KSh294,000 around $2,200 and reselling them abroad for up to KSh3.2 million, or $24,000.
Mediheal has denied any wrongdoing.
The task force, formally titled the Independent Investigative Committee on Tissue and Organ Transplant Services, was established by Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale in May. It is led by Professor Elizabeth Bukusi, a respected medical researcher and bioethicist.
Over the next three weeks, the committee will travel to nine counties Bomet, Meru, Uasin Gishu, Kisii, Nakuru, Kisumu, Nairobi, and finally Mombasa gathering testimony from patients, donors, doctors, and whistleblowers. The final hearing is scheduled for 27 June.
“We are here to listen to Kenyans. To understand their experiences and concerns,” Professor Bukusi said at the inaugural session. “This is about ensuring ethical, safe, and transparent practices in a field where lives are literally on the line.”
The committee’s remit is broad. It is not only looking at the Mediheal allegations but also assessing the wider legal and regulatory framework that governs organ donation and transplantation in Kenya. At issue is whether current safeguards are strong enough to prevent coercion, fraud, or outright trafficking.
Kenya’s Human Tissue Act prohibits the sale of organs, but critics say enforcement has been weak.
In parallel, Parliament’s Health Committee, chaired by MP James Nyikal, has launched its own 90-day inquiry. It will dig into systemic issues around organ transplants and assess whether new legislation or institutional reforms are needed.
“We cannot allow our health system to be tainted by greed or criminality,” Nyikal said in a statement. “We owe it to our people to make sure donation is a gift of life not a business.”
Though Mediheal has not been formally charged, the hospital group is facing growing pressure to account for its practices. In a statement earlier this year, it said all transplants are conducted in line with national and international standards, and insisted all donors give informed consent.
Still, rights groups and patient advocates are calling for greater transparency.
“If these allegations are true, this is the exploitation of the poorest in society under the guise of healthcare,” said Dr Asha Abdalla, a medical ethicist based in Nairobi. “And if they are not true, then the system still needs to show that it is open and accountable.”
The hearings come as Kenya grapples with a growing demand for transplants, especially kidneys, driven by rising rates of diabetes and hypertension. Long waiting lists and limited public resources have pushed desperate patients to private clinics, where costs can soar above KSh1 million per operation.
Some donors who have come forward say they were not fully informed of the risks or the true value of the organs they gave up.
“I thought I was helping someone and getting money to support my family,” said one man in Nakuru, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “But now, I have health problems and no support.”
For now, all eyes are on the task force as it moves across the country. Its findings could reshape how organ transplants are handled in Kenya and help decide whether the system can heal itself.
