State forms team to probe Mediheal kidney transplants fiasco

Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale speaking to the press during a meeting to deliberate on emerging issues in the health sector at CoG offices, Westlands on April 17, 2025/EZEKIEL AMING'A

The government has appointed a team to undertake a comprehensive audit of all kidney transplant services at the Mediheal Group of Hospitals in the last five years.

Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale noted that the Independent Expert Committee will comprise experts from public and private health facilities, professional associations, and relevant regulatory bodies.

He said the team will focus on governance, clinical practices, ethical compliance, and patient safety protocols.

“The committee will be expected to submit its report within 90 days from the date of appointment,” he stated.

The probe follows an investigative report by German broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW) which alleged that Mediheal Group of Hospitals in involved in a global organ trafficking syndicate.

The hospital’s Group Vice President in charge of operations, Maryline Limo, has denied the claims, insisting that they follow 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.

In his statement on April 17, Duale noted that in December 2023, the Ministry of Health constituted a multidisciplinary fact-finding mission to investigate these serious concerns.

He said the team was comprised of transplant specialists, ethicists, representatives from the Kenya Blood Transfusion and Transplant Services (KBTTS), the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC), the Kenya Renal Association (KRA), senior Ministry officials, and experts from academia.

“Their mandate was to verify the claims raised by the Transplantation Society, audit transplant procedures at Mediheal, and assess compliance with clinical, legal, and ethical standards,” he stated.

He further noted that the report produced by the team was not signed because of dissenting opinions of some team members on the recommendations, nor was it submitted to the Ministry of Health for further action.

Duale said he has commissioned a new new to conduct the probe “following recent developments, and in the interest of protecting patient safety and upholding public trust in our health system.”

“This action is necessitated by the fact that the report of the December 2023 probe team was neither formally submitted to the Ministry nor unanimously endorsed by its members,” he said.