The Health Cabinet Secretary, Aden Duale, has suspended two officers at the Ministry of Health following organ trafficking allegations at an Eldoret-based private hospital.
In a statement on Thursday, April 17, Duale confirmed the suspension of Maurice Wakwabubi, the acting Head of Kenya Blood Transfusion and Transplant Services (KBTTS), and Everlyne Chege, who chaired the Ministry's multidisciplinary team, which was deployed in December 2023 to investigate the facility.
Following the suspension of Wakwabubi, Duale has in turn appointed Martin Sirengo, who is the Senior Deputy Director of Medical Services, as the new acting KBTTS head.
Duale said that the suspension of the two officials was a step to erase any conflict of interest in the ongoing probe of the hospital.
"This step is necessary to eliminate any potential conflict of interest and to ensure that further investigations proceed independently and objectively in accordance with relevant laws," he said.
"I have appointed Dr Martin Sirengo, Senior Deputy Director of Medical Services, to take charge of KBTTS during the interim period," he added.
On the other hand, Duale has also suspended all kidney transplant services at the hospital until further notice, following ethical concerns raised by various stakeholders regarding the conduct of transplant procedures at the facility.
Duale has thus directed patients seeking transplant-related services at the hospital to shift to any of the eight licensed kidney transplant facilities in the country, which include: Kenyatta National Hospital, Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, Aga Khan University Hospital, M.P. Shah Hospital, Nairobi Hospital, St. Luke's Hospital – Eldoret, Nairobi West Hospital, and Mater Hospital.
"This decision follows credible concerns from the government and citizens regarding the facility's adherence to required ethical standards in the conduct of transplant procedures," he said.
Furthermore, the CS has also appointed an independent expert committee of transplant specialists sourced from public and private health facilities, professional associations, and other regulatory bodies to audit kidney transplant services at the hospital over the past five years.
The committee is expected to table a report of its audit within the next 90 days.
"This action is necessitated by the fact that the report of the December 2023 probe team was neither formally submitted to the Ministry nor unanimously endorsed by its members," he said.
Duale has asserted that the moves will be fundamental in upholding patients' safety and reinforcing public trust in the country’s health system.
