Photo Credit: Penn State
Uasin Gishu county residents have raised an alarm of many youths selling their kidneys for monetary gains. The kidneys are valued from over KSh 200,000 to about KSh 700,000, which is way below the international prices of KSh 11 million. Several reports have captured how youths sold their kidneys to acquire motorbikes for their boda boda business.
In March 2024, the Institute of Security Studies (ISS) reported on how a section of Kenyan youths were selling their kidneys to come out of poverty.
Another report by the International Society of Nephrology has listed at least 100 cases of organ trafficking in the country. In the study, whose findings were presented in December 2023 during the 2023 Kenya Renal Association Conference (KRACON 2023), poor Kenyans were victims of the organ trafficking syndicate. At least 100 cases were reported in a presentation during the Mombasa conference. According to the International Society, the kidneys were sold at an average price of KSh 700,000.
The Kenya Renal Association cited a lack of public reports and collusion by bosses of agencies that need to fight against organ trafficking. KRA called on the Kenya Blood and Transplant Authority and the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists, and Dentist Union (KMPDU) to speak out vocally against the vice to safeguard vulnerable groups.
The association said the illegal kidney transplant business was hinged on poverty, a lack of clear legislation, and exploitation. In a report by People Daily, one of the residents listed the names of two people who had donated their kidneys for monetary gains and several others who had contacted brokers and called on relevant authorities to intervene.
The concern is that most of those accepting the offers to sell their kidneys are never told the dangers that come with donating their organs, like the high risk of high blood pressure, reduced kidney activity, and subsequent failure. According to ISS, as Kenyan youths scramble for KSh 700,000 or even KSh 300,000 for kidneys, the organ is traded at KSh 11 million in the international market.
According to the Aga Khan Hospital, in Kenya, the law only allows one source of kidneys for transplantation. These are living-related donors (blood relatives of the recipient up to the fourth degree of consanguinity). In 2023, Kenyatta National Hospital warned Kenyans against selling their kidneys for financial gain, citing it as illegal.
By Lewis Musonye
