Kenyans tricked into organ trafficking scam speak out

Kenyans who fell victim to a organ trafficking scheme in Eldoret have shared harrowing accounts with the National Assembly Health Committee, revealing how doctors tricked them into giving up their kidney for as little as Ksh 50,000 (USD 386). Their testimonies expose a network of fraud, broken promises, and lifelong health consequences.

Targeting the vulnerable

Emmanuel Kipkosgei said brokers lured him to a lavish house in Eldoret, where doctors and “an older white man” persuaded him and others to undergo the procedure by handing him Ksh 50,000 in cash. As reported by The Kenya Times, he said:

Since I had never handled that much money before, I thought I was about to get a lot of money,

He and a friend completed three weeks of tests at one of Eldoret City’s hospitals. At one point, brokers moved them to a facility in Nairobi for further tests. Victims said traffickers also created fake identity documents to make it seem they were related to organ recipients from Somalia.

Brokers promised Kipkosgei Ksh 1.2 million but paid him only Ksh 400,000 (USD 3,089) after the surgery. Three days later, authorities arrested and detained him for alleged involvement in illegal activities, which he believes was a setup.

Amon Kipruto’s story highlights how poverty made him an easy target. Struggling to support his family on low construction wages, he agreed when a friend offered him a deal. The decision left him with lifelong health problems. He said:

Sometimes I have to walk, then sit down somewhere to rest before I can continue, until my strength returns,

Kipruto’s daily life is now marked by pain and fatigue.

Lawmakers are investigating

The National Assembly Health Committee also questioned police officials and hospital administrators accused of involvement. Facilities under scrutiny include Mediheal Group of Hospitals, St. Luke’s Orthopaedic and Trauma Hospital, and Oak Tree Hospital. Investigations so far have also revealed that kidney transplants were performed on foreign nationals, mainly Somalis, using funds from the now-defunct National Health Insurance Fund.

Organ trafficking a global crime

Forced organ harvesting and organ trafficking are forms of modern slavery. Across the world, traffickers coerce or trick impoverished people and vulnerable minorities into giving up their organs. They pocket massive profits while victims are abandoned without care and left to face severe health risks.

Hotspots for this crime stretch across Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe, and Africa. Alarmingly, only seven countries have passed laws to tackle it. Without stronger global action, organ trafficking networks will continue exploiting the vulnerable and feeding the illegal transplant tourism market.

The stories of Kipkosgei and Kipruto are stark reminders: forced organ harvesting destroys lives and must be stopped. Take action.