Duale threatens to deport Mishra over human organ trade

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 24 – Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has threatened to move for the revocation former Kesses MP Swarup Mishra citizenship and have him deported to India over his alleged involvement in an international organ trafficking syndicate.

Speaking at the national finals of Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) sporting tournament in Uasin Gishu on Friday, Duale accused Mishra of operating with impunity and intimidating authorities despite an inquiry linking him to a major kidney transplant scandal.

He was alluding to an investigation that found Mediheal Group of Hospitals, founded by Mishra, culpable of organ harvesting.

“You cannot come to our country 20 years ago with a bag, you make money, you sell our organs, you become a Member of Parliament, you develop a culture of impunity, you hire lawyers, and when you’re pursued you threaten us,” Duale charged.

“If it means revoking that citizenship — because your citizenship is not by birth — we will revoke it, close your hospital, and deport you.”

Duale’s remarks come ahead of Parliament’s anticipated adoption of a damning report by a government-appointed taskforce on tissue and organ transplant services, which calls for the investigation and prosecution of Mishra and three other senior doctors.

The 13-member Inter-Agency Committee on Transplant and Organ Trafficking, in its final report presented to Duale on July 22, exposed widespread irregularities suggesting the existence of a transnational organ trade network.

Irregular organ transplants

The three-month probe reviewed 452 donor and 447 recipient files, with 417 of the donor records linked to Mediheal Hospital in Eldoret — representing 81 per cent of all donors and 76 per cent of recipients in the report.

The committee specifically named Mishra alongside doctors Murthy, Sananda Bag, and Vijay Kumar as individuals who face investigation and proscetion for facilitating or participating in illicit kidney transplants.

It also highlighted regulatory lapses and alleged complicity by oversight authorities, which allowed the illegal trade to flourish.

Mishra, however, denied the allegations on July 29, insisting that Mediheal operated within existing guidelines.

“Organ trafficking means taking money from the recipient and soliciting and paying the donor — we [were] never involved in such a process. The committee should have been on a mission of fact-finding, not fault-finding,” he said.