The South African daily Daily Maveric stated on Tuesday that underprivileged young Kenyans are selling their kidneys for $1,000 and a motorcycle. The report was based on research conducted by the Pretoria-based African Institute for Security Studies (ISS).
The daily cites the story of 30-year-old Joseph Japina, who claimed to have been introduced to an intermediary who was enlisting young men for a kidney procurement network during an interview with ISS. The criminal organization is thought to operate between Nairobi and Eldoret, in western Kenya.
The middleman persuaded the Kenyan to donate a kidney by offering him an advance payment of $984 (₦1,393,344) and a further $984 in exchange for a Boxer motorcycle that he could use as a boda boda A popular two-wheeled taxi in Africa.
“Japiny was brought to an Eldoret private clinic for testing after he gave his consent. His kidney was removed at a different clinic after a few weeks. He was given his motorcycle and went home once they were certain there were no issues, “DM” says.
Speaking with ISS, another unnamed broker said that in 2023 alone, he had recruited over a hundred young men in the town of Oyugis in southwest Kenya. The majority of them were from low-income backgrounds and need startup financing.
The bodies of more than 400 people were discovered in the Kenyan town of Shakahola last year. These people were victims of Paul Mackenzie, the self-described pastor who headed the International Church of the Good News. autopsy performed by professionals demonstrated the lack of some organs in multiple instances. The suspects’ involvement in the forcible removal of body parts was established by the authorities looking into the matter.
The Health Act of Kenya permits kidney donations to family members or for scientific study. It does not, however, expressly forbid the illicit trade in which individuals consent to sell their organs. International criminal organizations take advantage of this weakness to procure and trade human organs.
In 1987, the World Health Organization (WHO) for the first time outlawed the selling of organs. Numerous nations embraced this ruling and included it into their legal frameworks.
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