Mediheal was not alone in the organ trafficking syndicate, MPs told

Multiple hospitals across the country could have been used as conduits in the illegal organ harvesting and trafficking by an organ transplant syndicate.

Parliament on Thursday heard that an elaborate syndicate, which involves rogue medical practitioners, unscrupulous middlemen and poorly regulated private clinics, could have also been involved in a complex conspiracy dealing in the forgery of national identification documents and use of information of dead people to avoid detection.

This came to the fore during a sitting of the National Assembly Health Committee which commenced an inquiry into the alleged illegal organ harvesting and trafficking at Mediheal Group of Hospitals.

Its first witness, Nandi Hills MP Benard Kitur, appeared before the House team and tabled documents he said were evidence to demonstrate how young Kenyans were lured, illegally operated on and later conned out of millions of shillings they had been promised as compensation.

Mr Kitur, who brought the matter to light first in June 2024 through a request for statement on the floor of the House, said he had obtained the information through whistle-blowers at Mediheal and called for the Committee to dig deeper.

Kitur said he first became aware of the illegal organ harvesting and trafficking syndicate after the matter was brought to his attention by a constituent of his, Amon Kipruto Meli. Kipruto, the MP claimed, had undergone an operation in December 2023.

“In June 2024, I received a depressing case that had been reported to my office by one Leah Chepkorir regarding her 22-year son Amon Kipruto Meli. According to the report, her son’s Kidney had been harvested at the hospital after he was lured by the facility with an offer to donate the organ at a fee of Sh600,000. He, thereafter, had developed complications associated with organ harvesting,” said the MP.

“This incident was reported at the Langas Police Station in August 2024. I will be demonstrating that this is just one of the many organ harvesting cases by a syndicate within our country,” added Kitur.

The legislator said that after having a face-to-face interview with Kipruto and consequently conducting private investigations, he obtained information that pointed to officers or staff at Mediheal working with officers from the State Department of Registration Services in an elaborate plot to forge patients’ documents once they accepted to donate their organs.

“These are young men who were lured on account of being given money. When they got to the hospital, their IDs were taken and alien identification cards were made for them. In one instance, Amon Kipruto Meli was given an ID of Amon Hussein Kipruto. The picture on his new ID did not match his original and belonged to a Peter Kiplagat Rotich from Mosorio, who investigations later revealed, is now deceased,” Kitur said.  

“The reason they were being given this ID was to be able to transfer money to them into an account. This ID was a product of rogue officials at the Ministry of Registration Services,” he narrated.  

The Seme MP James Nyikal-led committee also heard that the gullible donors allegedly had their names on the IDs mutilated which interfered with the accuracy of the information once it was requested by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations for investigations.

Kitur also told of Emanuel Kipkosgey, another victim whom he said to have interviewed and whose kidneys were illegally harvested. According to the MP, Kipkosgey was to be paid Sh1.2 million for donating his organs but was only paid a Sh50,000 deposit just before the operation and Sh400,000 later.

“There are brokers who came to the shopping centres where the young men were relaxing and told them there was an easy way to make money through a small procedure,” he buttressed.

Kitur further said that, whereas Mediheal Group of Hospitals had remained at the centre of public scrutiny, new evidence suggest it was part of a larger syndicate.

The revelations come as the Departmental Committee on Health begins its 90-day public inquiry into alleged malpractice and ethical breaches in kidney transplants.