CS Duale Suspends Top Ministry Of Health Officials

Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has suspended two top officials at the Ministry of Health, as well as the kidney transplant services at Mediheal Group of Hospitals in Eldoret.

Those suspended on Thursday, April 17 include the active Head of Kenya Blood Transfusion and Transplant Services, Maurice Wakwabubi, and MoH technical lead, Dr. Everlyne Chege. 

The move is aimed at protecting the integrity of an ongoing investigation into the alleged illegal organ transplant fiasco.

"To safeguard the integrity of the investigative process, Hon. Duale also ordered the immediate suspension of Dr. Maurice Wakwabubi, Acting Head of the Kenya Blood Transfusion and Transplant Services (KBTTS), and Dr. Everlyne Chege, the technical lead who chaired the Ministry’s multidisciplinary probe in December 2023," the Ministry of Health announced in a statement.

Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale addressing the media on April 17, 2025 at Afya House, Nairobi. /MINISTRY OF HEALTH

"Their suspension is intended to eliminate any potential conflict of interest and ensure that investigations proceed independently and objectively. In the interim, Dr. Martin Sirengo, Senior Deputy Director of Medical Services, has been appointed to take charge of KBTTS."

The CS revealed that the move to suspend the kidney transplant services at the hospital is due to serious concerns over ethical breaches and possible malpractice. The suspension takes place immediately.

The Ministry of Health has yet to release full details regarding the reported violations, but stressed the critical importance of patient safety and strict compliance with medical ethical standards.

Furthermore, to address the matter comprehensively, the CS announced the appointment of an Independent Expert Committee to undertake a full audit of kidney transplant services across all Mediheal facilities over the past five years. The committee will review governance structures, clinical practices, ethical compliance, and patient safety protocols, and is expected to submit its report within 90 days.

Individuals in need of kidney transplant services have been urged to seek care at other authorised facilities approved to perform such procedures within the country. These include Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, and Aga Khan University Hospital.

Additional accredited institutions include Tenwek Mission Hospital, Eldoret Hospital, Coptic Hospital, and Nairobi West Hospital, among others.

The suspension follows a warning from the Transplantation Society, which alerted the Ministry of Health to a spike in kidney transplants for Israeli nationals at Mediheal Hospital, raising suspicions of a potential organ trafficking ring exploiting weak regulatory oversight.

In response, a multidisciplinary team was deployed in December 2023 to review the hospital’s transplant procedures. The audit uncovered serious issues, including the use of foreign donors with unclear connections to recipients, unauthorised HLA testing conducted in India, and a lack of required documentation to prove donor-recipient relationships.

Additionally, transplants were performed on high-risk individuals, some with prostate cancer or poor donor matches, without proper oversight. The facility also lacked a formal committee to approve transplants and failed to report outcomes.

Over the past five years, Mediheal conducted 372 kidney transplants, with recipients from countries such as Israel, the U.S., the U.K., Australia, and neighbouring East African nations.

Responding to the allegations, Mediheal’s Vice President, Maryline Limo, denied any procedural violations, stating that patients arrive with their donors and the hospital does not participate in donor sourcing.

"We would also like to make it clear that the patients are coming with their donors to the facility. The facility is not involved in sourcing and selection of donors to the facility,” she stated, adding “So, the clients come themselves to the hospital, and the procedures are being followed accordingly.”

In further directives, the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC) has been directed to immediately halt the licensing of new foreign medical practitioners, except those from East African Community member states. 

"The CS also instructed KMPDC to conduct an audit of all currently licensed foreign practitioners in Kenya and submit a comprehensive report to his office within 90 days. These measures aim to enhance oversight and align national standards with global best practices," added the statement.