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President William Ruto has suspended Dr. Swarup Mishra from his position as the Chair of the Kenya BioVax Institute.
The suspension, which takes immediate effect, was announced through a press release by State House Spokesperson Hussein Mohamed on April 18, 2025.
State House cited serious allegations of unethical and illegal activities involving kidney transplant procedures at Mediheal Hospital and Fertility Centre in Eldoret.
The move follows revelations by Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale earlier in the week, highlighting five major red flags in Mediheal’s kidney transplant program, which is now under intense scrutiny.
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The suspension shall remain in force pending the outcome of investigations into serious allegations of unethical and illegal activities involving kidney transplant procedures at Mediheal Hospital and Fertility Centre in Eldoret. The hospital was founded by Dr Mishra. read the statement.
“The President reaffirms the Government’s commitment to fighting corruption, including upholding integrity in healthcare, public safety, and justice for victims,” the statement continued.
The Red Flags
Earlier this week, Health CS Duale raised alarm after a special audit of kidney transplant files at Mediheal revealed disturbing irregularities. These included:
Lack of verified donor-recipient relationships, with some pairs hailing from different nationalities — a potential indicator of organ trafficking.
Failure to provide translated consent forms for non-English-speaking patients compromises the principle of informed consent.
Export of human samples to India for HLA testing without Ministry of Health approval.
High-risk kidney transplants were conducted on terminally ill patients, including those suffering from conditions like prostate cancer.
Lack of proper clinical oversight, including missing morbidity and mortality reports and the absence of mandatory multidisciplinary team (MDT) meetings.
The Ministry of Health has since launched a full-scale investigation into the operations of the hospital’s transplant unit.
Who is Dr. Swarup Mishra?
Dr. Swarup Mishra is a former Member of Parliament and the founder of Mediheal Group of Hospitals, one of the largest private health providers in Kenya, with branches in several major cities.
Known for his contributions to the medical field, his career now faces a major reputational crisis.
He was appointed Chair of the Kenya BioVax Institute, a government-backed agency responsible for the local production of vaccines and biomedical products.
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The suspension of Dr. Mishra comes at a time when Kenya is tightening oversight on organ transplant practices following growing concerns over exploitation, organ tourism, and black-market transplants.
Kenya’s medical regulatory framework requires rigorous consent and verification procedures for organ donation, especially from unrelated donors or across nationalities.