MPs question NHIF cover for foreign kidney transplant patients
During the hearing, hospital officials acknowledged performing kidney transplants on several foreigners, mostly Somalis.
Eldoret hospitals faced intense scrutiny on Thursday as lawmakers probed how foreign nationals accessed kidney transplant services under Kenya’s National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF).
The Departmental Committee on Health zeroed in on St. Luke’s Orthopaedic and Trauma Hospital and Oak Tree Medical Centre, questioning transparency in donor-recipient arrangements and hospital procedures.
During the hearing, hospital officials acknowledged performing kidney transplants on several foreigners, mostly Somalis. The patients, they said, were fully registered and paid members of the now-defunct NHIF.
Endebess MP Robert Pukose pressed the facility on the nationality of transplant patients. “Among the patients you’ve done kidney transplants, do we have foreigners?” he asked.
Dr. Silvia Nikita of St. Luke’s confirmed: “Yes. Five patients were from Somalia.”
Hospital representatives explained that Oak Tree Medical Centre handled pairing donors with recipients.
“The role of identification and pairing of potential donors and recipients lies with Oak Tree Centre, for Kidney and Chronic Diseases, with whom we have a memorandum of Understanding. Most of the cases involved blood relatives,” Dr. Nikita said.
Despite these assurances, MPs expressed concern over whether hospitals could verify donors’ relationships or nationality.
Seme MP James Nyikal cautioned, “We are not new to the fact that there has been a lot of talk about kidney selling. We want assurance that what you are doing here follows national guidelines.”
Lawmakers demanded comprehensive records of all transplants, including the identity and nationality of both donors and recipients.
Documents revealed that St. Luke’s had conducted 34 kidney transplants, with some complications reported.
“There were one or two instances of rejection after surgery, some bleeding that required patients to return to theatre, and one donor who developed acute kidney injury but recovered after treatment,” said Gabriel Joseph from St. Luke’s. He added that Oak Tree had also reported a few deaths following surgery.
Committee members questioned why critical laboratory tests were outsourced abroad instead of using local facilities.
“I don’t understand why samples for cross-matching are taken to India or South Africa when facilities like Metropolis are available locally,” Ndhiwa MP Martin Owino asked.
Consent procedures also came under scrutiny. Kisumu Central MP Joshua Oron asked: “Are patients and donors giving consent here at St. Luke’s, or at Oak Tree? And what is the difference between the two consent processes?”
Hospital officials clarified that pre-operative tests, consent, and consultations were mostly done at Oak Tree because St. Luke’s lacks a resident nephrologist and dialysis clinic.
The committee pressed on why NHIF covered foreigners. Senior administrator Mary Lelei explained that the law allows temporary residents to access the scheme. “It’s not just Somalis—there was also provision for Chinese nationals who worked on road projects.
The Somalis we treated were paid-up members of NHIF,” she said.
While admitting gaps in follow-up and coordination, hospital officials insisted all procedures complied with the Health Act 2017, the Human Tissues Act, and the Data Protection Act, following ethical standards.
Nyeri Town MP Dancun Mathenge warned that withholding information fuels suspicion.
“We don’t come here thinking you are doing something wrong. But when you withhold information, you raise unnecessary suspicion. Give us accurate records of all transplants, the donors, their nationality, and how consent was obtained.”
The hearings resume Friday, with MPs expected to hear from transplant victims, donors, and the proprietor and chairman of Mediheal Group of Hospitals.
