Kenya’s organ transplant system in crisis, probe team says
It says Kenya’s transplant landscape is marked by inadequate clinical standards, weak donor care systems, insufficient infrastructure, and poor documentation
The committee formed by Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale to probe organ transplants and trafficking in the country has recommended urgent reforms, including the establishment of a central authority to coordinate all transplant-related activities and the creation of a national transplant registry to track procedures and enhance transparency across facilities.
After conducting 90-day investigations, Inter-Agency Committee on Transplant and Organ Trafficking revealed that the transplant landscape in the country is marred by inadequate clinical standards, poor documentation, and weak donor care, among others.
“Kenya’s transplant landscape is marked by inadequate clinical standards, weak donor care systems, insufficient infrastructure, and poor documentation,” the committee revealed in its report.
Chaired by Elizabeth Bukusi, the committee was established to assess whether Kenya’s transplant services meet legal, ethical, and clinical standards following reports of organ trade at Mediheal Group of Hospitals owned by former Kesses MP Swarup Mishra.
It included a team of clinicians, legal experts, ethicists, public health professionals, and a patient representative.
The committee has faulted the ministry for not inspecting the facilities after the initial certification inspection, raising major concerns over patient safety and ethical compliance.
”Most transplant facilities are not regularly inspected after initial certification, and there is no national transplant registry,” it noted in the report.
In its findings, the committee has revealed that a number of vital transplant disciplines, such as clinical pathology and immunology, are still not properly recognised or regulated.
This has left major loopholes in oversight, with many facilities operating without clear accountability or quality checks.
The report paints a troubling picture of operations inside transplant centres. Only 25 per cent of kidney transplant facilities were found to have well-trained, dedicated multidisciplinary teams.
Further, the report has indicated that around 45 per cent of the centres do not have Standard Operating Procedures in place.
Even more concerning, nearly 60 per cent of the facilities were flagged for poor documentation of essential medical processes like patient consent and clinical reviews.
“Only 30 per cent had systems in place for donor follow-up,” the report stated.
None of the facilities offered structured psychological or medical support to donors after surgery, leaving a critical gap in post-transplant care.
The committee additionally noted that Kenya’s organ donation system remains severely restricted, as most transplants rely on living, related donors.
This limitation, coupled with the weak regulatory framework, raises fears of abuse and unethical practices.
