NAIROBI, Kenya Jun 5 – The task force appointed by Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale to probe alleged malpractice and ethical breaches in kidney transplant services at the Mediheal Group of Hospitals is set to begin its work today.
The Independent Investigative Committee on Tissue and Organ Transplant Services, led by Professor Elizabeth Bukusi, will hold its inaugural sitting in Vihiga.
The committee will subsequently hold sittings in Bomet, Meru, Uasin Gishu, Kisii, Nakuru, Kisumu, and Nairobi. The final public hearing is scheduled to take place in Mombasa on June 27.
The task force has been mandated to investigate the legal and regulatory framework governing tissue and organ transplants in Kenya.
It will also engage with donors, recipients, and medical professionals involved in transplants over the past five years to determine whether there have been cases of commercialization, coercion, or breaches of the Human Tissue Act.
The National Assembly Departmental Committee on Health, chaired by Seme MP James Nyikal, is also conducting a parallel 90-day investigation into allegations of illegal organ transplants and trafficking, following an exposé by German broadcaster Deutsche Welle.
The media report alleged that Mediheal has been harvesting kidneys from vulnerable Kenyans for Ksh294,000 and selling them abroad for up to KSh3.2 million.
