A damning government report has recommended criminal prosecution of Dr. Swarup Mishra, founder and chairman of Mediheal Hospital, following a comprehensive investigation into alleged organ trafficking operations at the Eldoret-based medical facility.
The Independent Investigative Committee, established by Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale and chaired by Professor Elizabeth Bukusi, has called for immediate arrest and prosecution of Mishra alongside three transplant specialists who allegedly conducted kidney transplants in violation of national regulations and ethical standards.
The investigation uncovered disturbing patterns that point to systematic organ trafficking at the Level 5 hospital. Mediheal Hospital alone accounted for an staggering 81 percent of all recorded organ donors and 76 percent of recipients across Kenya’s medical facilities since 2020, a volume so unusually high it immediately raised red flags among investigators.
The demographic breakdown of patients reveals troubling international connections. While slightly more than half of kidney recipients were Kenyan citizens, 27 percent were foreigners, with Israeli nationals representing the largest foreign group at 13 percent. Meanwhile, 77 percent of organ donors were men, with a significant number originating from Azerbaijan under what investigators describe as “questionable circumstances.”
Most telling is the stark disparity between donor and recipient patterns among foreign nationals. Despite Israelis being the largest foreign recipient group, only two percent of them donated organs, suggesting a clear exploitation of vulnerable populations for the benefit of wealthier patients.
The investigation exposed serious documentation failures that appear designed to obscure the true nature of these operations. A shocking 38 percent of both donors and recipients lacked proper documentation, making it nearly impossible to verify their nationalities and places of residence. Investigators also uncovered widespread use of poorly completed affidavits, which serve as crucial legal documents in transplant procedures.
Beyond Mishra, the committee has recommended prosecution of Dr. Murthy, a nephrologist; Dr. Sananda Bag, a urologist and transplant surgeon; and Dr. Vijay Kumar, an anesthesiologist, all of whom were allegedly involved in the irregular kidney transplants.
The report doesn’t spare Kenya’s regulatory bodies either. The Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council faces severe criticism for alleged negligence and possible criminal collusion. The committee noted the regulatory body’s “repeated inaction on reports of wrongdoing at Mediheal Hospital” despite receiving numerous documented written complaints about the facility’s operations.
This investigation was triggered by a media exposé in June that revealed how young, unsuspecting Kenyans were allegedly lured into selling their kidneys, which were then transplanted into both local and foreign patients. The 15-member committee’s findings appear to validate these initial reports while uncovering an even more extensive network of alleged criminal activity.
The taskforce has recommended maintaining the current suspension of Mediheal Hospital pending further investigations, citing “systemic flaws in operations and documentation.” They’ve also called for upholding the moratorium on registering foreign doctors until proper regulatory frameworks are established.
As this scandal continues to unfold, it raises serious questions about oversight of Kenya’s transplant industry and the vulnerability of economically disadvantaged citizens to exploitation by unscrupulous medical practitioners. The recommended prosecutions, if pursued, could mark a significant step toward accountability in what appears to be one of Kenya’s most serious medical ethics violations in recent years.
The case now moves to law enforcement agencies and prosecutors, who must decide whether to act on the committee’s recommendations and bring criminal charges against those allegedly involved in this sophisticated organ trafficking operation.
There's no story that cannot be told. We cover the stories that others don't want to be told, we bring you all the news you need. If you have tips, exposes or any story you need to be told bluntly and all queries write to us [email protected] also find us on Telegram
