Mediheal denies organ trafficking claims following expose

**Mediheal Group of Hospitals Vice President in charge of operations, Maryline Limo, during an interview on Spice FM on April 16, 2025.** [Courtesy]

Mediheal Group of Hospitals has denied allegations of involvement in a global organ trafficking syndicate, following a recent investigative report by German broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW).

The months-long investigation placed Mediheal’s Eldoret facility at the center of suspicious kidney transplant procedures.

According to DW, some donors claimed they were misled and underpaid, receiving far less compensation than promised for their kidneys.

But Maryline Limo, the Group’s Vice President in charge of operations, denied the claims, insisting the hospital follows all legal and ethical guidelines, as per industry standards, which prohibit the commercial sale of organs.

“Mediheal wishes to categorically state that the facility strictly adheres to the legal guidelines and the procedure of the hospital,” said Limo on Spice FM on Wednesday, April 16.

“We want to make it absolutely clear that the patients come with their own donors to the facility. The hospital is not involved in the sourcing and selection of donors,” she added.

The Operations VP acknowledged that while the hospital requires all patients—including foreigners—to present their own donors, it is difficult to independently verify the relationships between donors and recipients. Instead, the hospital relies on sworn affidavits provided by patients.

She said the hospital was unaware of individuals allegedly offering Kenyans money in exchange for their organs, which are then transplanted into local and foreign patients.

Limo added that the hospital only charges clients for medical services rendered.

Among those featured in the DW exposé was Amon Kipruto, who claimed he was promised Sh800,000 for donating a kidney but received only about Sh500,000.

He also said the operation had left him in poor health.

“This patient checked in like other patients. A cross check for compatibility was done to find a match. I’m not aware of the money part,” said Limo adding, “the patient saying he received money has not mentioned Mediheal, he mentioned an individual.”

She further added that the hospital is investigating the matter to identify those allegedly involved in the illegal transactions.

Mediheal is not new to controversy, having been flagged for unethical transplants in the past, including last year.

A 2023 audit of the facility unearthed suspicious activity, including an unexplained influx of Israeli kidney patients.

Further, the transplant program flouted some health regulations, such as failure to verify the relationship between the donors and recipients, performing high-risk transplants with a cancer patient, and overlooking poor donor-recipient compatibility.

Despite this, Limo said the Ministry of Health has conducted routine checks and approved Mediheal’s kidney transplant procedures.

“We are working very well with the ministry. They usually come to conduct routine checks on certain procedures. They came before regarding tkidney transplant and gave a positive verdict,” she said.

Still, questions linger over why so many foreign patients seek out Mediheal specifically for kidney transplants—and not other services. The hospital attributes this to a 99 percent success rate, although the Health Ministry has previously flagged Mediheal’s failure to submit morbidity and mortality reports to support that claim.

In her defense of the hospital, Limo criticised DW for airing what she described as ‘unverified claims,’ despite the international outlet’s assertion that it attempted to reach Mediheal for comment before airing the report.

Mediheal has conducted over 450 kidney transplants since 2018.

Kenya’s Health Ministry
On Tuesday evening, Health CS Aden Duale confirmed that the ministry is investigating alleged organ trafficking activities at Mediheal Hospital, following a warning received via a letter in July 2023 from the Transplantation Society.

The Society raised concerns over a possible organ trafficking syndicate at the facility, citing suspected regulatory violations.

A multi-agency team comprising experts from the Kenya Blood Transfusion and Transplant Services (KBTTS) and the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC) flagged inconsistencies and recommended further investigation.

The Ministry has since launched an audit of Mediheal and seven other transplant facilities across the country.

It has also developed new guidelines to curb unethical practices in the transplant sector, according to Duale.

Still, many Kenyans are left questioning why the ministry is only releasing its findings now, despite having been alerted to the issue in 2023.