Gov't taskforce proposes criminal charges against Swarup Mishra over Mediheal kidney transplant saga

The Independent Investigative Committee on Tissue and Organ Transplant Services has recommended an immediate investigation and criminal charges against Swarup Mishra, founder and owner of Mediheal Group of Hospitals, for alleged involvement in organ trafficking linked to a kidney transplant scandal at the facility.

In a damning report presented to Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale on Tuesday, the 13-member team exposed massive irregularities pointing to an international organ harvesting syndicate.

The 314-page bombshell report uncovers the details of a three-month task force investigation into an alleged international illegal kidney harvesting ring.

The data, covering 452 donors and 447 recipients across multiple institutions, revealed that 417 files originated from Mediheal Hospital in Eldoret, accounting for approximately 81% of all donors and 76% of all recipients.

The data shows that between 2018 and March 2025, Mediheal Hospital handled 417 donors and 340 recipients, with male patients making up three out of every four cases.

The residence status data shows that 44% of recipients are residents, 16% are non-Kenyan, and a notable 38.94% have an unknown status, indicating possible gaps in documentation or lack of identification documents in the patient record.

The report further shows that Kenyan recipients were half of the donors, with those with undocumented nationalities, Israel, and Uganda making up the lion’s share of the list.

Concerning is the fact that there were many unknown donor nationalities, with 60 people failing to reveal their country of origin—ostensibly to cover up their tracks.

"They have done a thorough job. They have told me who to punish and the gaps in legislation," said Duale.

The team raised several red flags, including concerns about the authenticity and consistency of signatures, particularly those associated with an “online freelancer” (IY), as his name appeared uniformly across multiple documents. Some patients were also categorised as “mutual friends.”

It was noted that a single surgeon and a single anesthesiologist operated on 24 patients within a 14-day period, which brings into question work overload that can account for the poor documentation and raises concerns for patient safety.

The pattern also suggested that Mediheal operates as a transplant tourism destination, which typically commands premium pricing structures.

The laboratory used to test Kenyan samples in India is not registered by the Kenya Medical Laboratory Technicians and Technologists Board (KMLTTB).

The committee further shone its spotlight on Dr. A.S. Murthy, the current nephrologist based at Mediheal, who is accused of running a “one-man show” in what is supposed to be a “team sport” of the transplants.

The team now recommends that Dr. Mishra, Dr. Murthy (Nephrologist), Dr. Sananda Bag (Urologist/Transplant Surgeon) and Dr. Vijay Kumar (Anesthesiologist) be investigated for their potential criminal involvement in organ trafficking and for possible violations of national transplant laws and ethical standards.

The team further recommends that the Health Cabinet Secretary may continue to suspend Mediheal Hospital until all investigations are concluded.

The committee also recommends that the KMPDC be investigated for potential regulatory failure and possible criminal collusion due to their repeated inaction on reports of wrongdoing at Mediheal Hospital.

Overall, the committee also proposes the establishment of the National Organ Transplant Authority, establishment of a National Transplant Coordination Centre and creation of robust oversight and regulation mechanisms for all health facilities offering diagnostic, dialysis, and transplant services at national and county levels

"I want to assure you that report will not find itself on the shelves. It will be implemented. I will take it to Parliament and Cabinet,” said Duale.

The Mediheal kidney transplant saga exploded a few months ago, with young, impoverished people coming out to lament over what they termed as being taken advantage of to donate their kidneys at a cost of about Ksh.400,000—while Mediheal Hospital is said to have sold them at almost Ksh.30 million to patients locally and overseas.