‘s Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) on Wednesday launched a full-scale probe into reports of illegal organ trafficking as a clinic at the center of the allegations strongly denied any wrongdoing, according to media reports in the country.
The investigation, which is being led by the DCI’s elite Transnational Organized Crime Unit (TOCU) under Director Mohamed Amin, comes a day after Kenyan health authorities ordered the suspension of all kidney transplant operations at Mediheal Group clinics until further notice.
“We are here to ensure justice in this matter, and we assure victims of the same,” said Amin, as quoted by Kenya’s The Star daily.
This follows the at the clinic at the center of the allegations, the Mediheal Hospital and Fertility Centre in the western city of Eldoret, which on Wednesday staged a press briefing at which Mediheal denied malpractice and promised to cooperate with the authorities.
“We are clean, our services are clean,” declared the group’s legal representatives, as quoted by Kenyan outlet YNewsDigital. “We’re inviting the government to audit us. The patients are ready to testify.”
Kenya: what is the organ trafficking scandal all about?
The saga erupted last week as a result of an investigation by DW in collaboration with fellow German public broadcaster ZDF and Der Spiegel news magazine, which .
Kidney donors included vulnerable young Kenyans in search of money, but also sellers who were flown in from countries including Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Pakistan, while desperate recipients paying hundreds of thousands of dollars were identified in Israel and Germany.
In Kenya, the DCI has issued a public appeal for any information, while the National Assembly’s Health Committee, chaired by lawmaker Dr. James Nyikal, is running its own political inquiry into the situation surrounding organ transplants.
“This is a matter that strikes at the core of human dignity and medical ethics,” said Dr. Nyikal, asking: “Were the procedures at Mediheal aligned with the Health Act and the Human Tissue Act? Were donors misled, coerced, or even paid? We intend to find out.”
Mediheal Group, which also operates facilities in the capital, , insists that the accusations are unfounded and is promising full transparency.
“All records are available, all procedures were documented,” its lawyers stated. “If there’s any doubt, we want it cleared — publicly and professionally.”
Edited by: Saim Dušan Inayatullah
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