The National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Health has announced an 80-day public inquiry into allegations of organ harvesting and malpractice at Mediheal Hospital’s Eldoret branch.
This follows a recent media exposé that raised serious concerns over breaches of professional ethics in kidney transplant procedures at the facility.
Seme MP Dr. James Nyikal, who chairs the Committee, said the probe would focus on the broader regulation of organ transplants in the country, with particular attention to the integrity of kidney transplant services, the involvement of foreign nationals, and the emerging issue of potential transplant tourism.
Addressing a press conference at Bunge Towers on Tuesday, Dr Nyikal said the inquiry would examine whether the procedures conducted at Mediheal adhered to Kenya’s legal and ethical standards, including provisions under the Health Act and the Human Tissue Act, as well as international norms governing organ transplantation.
“We are treating this matter with the utmost seriousness,” Dr. Nyikal stated.
The Committee will be asking critical questions: Were the kidney transplant procedures compliant with the law? Was there any evidence of organ commercialization or financial inducement to donors?
Were transplant donors fully informed and consenting, or was there coercion, deception, or exploitation? Were recipients and donors properly matched and evaluated according to ethical and medical protocols?”
He added that the inquiry will also assess the sufficiency of Kenya’s regulatory frameworks in preventing abuse in organ transplantation.
Did KTTA, KMPDC play their role in Mediheal Hospital saga?
The Committee will scrutinize oversight mechanisms, particularly the roles played by the Kenya Tissue and Transplant Authority, the Ministry of Health, and the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council.
The aim is to determine whether these bodies effectively monitored, audited, and licensed transplant activities at Mediheal whether any prior complaints or red flags were raised—and how they were handled.
Dr. Nyikal emphasized that the Committee is determined to identify systemic, institutional, or legal gaps that may have allowed unethical practices to thrive.
The findings will inform proposals for legal, policy, or operational reforms to strengthen ethical transplant services in the country.
The inquiry will also consider sanctions or disciplinary measures that will be taken against individuals or institutions found culpable.
The Committee observed that the inquiry aims to restore public confidence in Kenya’s organ donation and transplantation framework by ensuring that accountability, transparency, and ethics are at the core of all medical procedures.
