Activist Wants DCI To Investigate Mediheal Hospital Over Alleged Illegal Kidney Harvesting

Mediheal Hospital is once again on the spotlight but this time over allegation of illegal kidney transplant. A human rights activist Francis Awino has petitioned the High Court to compel the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to investigate the hospital on the accusations and if found culpable, to direct the Director of Public Prosecutions to initiate proceedings to prosecute the institution for the alleged violation.

According to court documents, Awino claims that a victim, Ayub Kanyi, had his organ harvested against his will after visiting the hospital.

Awino says that Ayub confided in him that he checked into the hospital’s branch in Parklands, Nairobi to ascertain if his kidneys were fit for donation and was given a clean bill of health. He would then be admitted at the hospital’s branch in Eldoret between May 21, 2019 and June 7, 2019.

Awino claims that it was during his time in Eldoret branch that Ayub was operated and had one of his kidneys removed and given to another patient in the hospital.

“The purchase price for Ayub’s kidney was fixed at Sh1.5 million which amount he was promptly promised to be paid immediately upon transplanting it on the hospital’s patient,” Awino says.

Other than asking the DCI to institute investigations into the hospital’s alleged involvement in illegal organ smuggling, he wants the court to compel the Kenya medical practitioners and dentists council to de-register the hospital and suspend its practicing license.

This not the first time that the hospital is coming under accusations of organ trafficking, in 2021, blogger Robert Alai was sued by the hospital for linking it to an international organ smuggling syndicate. The hospital has on numerous occasions distance themselves from the accusations against them saying they don’t engage in such.

The Mediheal Hospital and Fertlity Center Limited was established by Dr. Swarup Ranjan in Kenya, Rwanda and Addis Ababa.