Just when his fortunes were beginning to change after he was appointed chairperson of the Kenya BioVax Institute following a humiliating defeat in the 2022 elections, former Kesses MP Dr Swarup Mishra is fighting another fight of his life.

The new troubles began when Mediheal Hospital and Fertility Centre in Eldoret, which he owns, was implicated in a kidney and organ trafficking syndicate.

The revelations led to the immediate dismissal of Mishra from his BioVax position.

President William Ruto, in a statement on Friday, said the suspension will “remain in force pending the outcome of investigations into serious allegations of unethical and illegal activities involving kidney transplant procedures” at Mishra’s hospital.

According to a damning report released recently, a kidney and organ trafficking syndicate has hit Eldoret and its environs, with buyers from overseas purchasing a kidney for between Sh300,000 to Sh700,000.

The report, which arose from an investigation by the International Society of Nephrology, shows that over 100 cases of organ trafficking did occur.

More than 100 young people were involved in donating organs, with some selling their kidneys for profit, the report said.

The investigating committee, under the Kenya Renal Association, revealed lack of public reports for the previous five months, accusing executives of relevant authorities of being paid off.

The committee called on the CEOs of the Kenya Tissue and Transplant Authority and the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council to provide more information about illegal organ donations so as to prevent further harm to vulnerable youth.

The report also claims that the transplants were carried out at Mediheal “under the watch of the relevant Ministry officials”, calling on the Kenyan government to intervene.

“The issue of illegal kidney transplants in Kenya has been a significant and troubling problem, stemming from a complex interplay of poverty, lack of regulation and exploitation,” says the report seen by People Daily.

“Vulnerable populations, particularly those from impoverished backgrounds, are often targeted by organ trafficking networks.”

‘Harassing villagers’

In one incident, a village elder in Uasin Gishu County is said to have sold his kidney in February this year through a broker.

“Many others are planning to do so. From reliable information, one of the brokers moves in the village harassing other villagers. All these are done in one of the biggest hospitals in Eldoret,” the report claims.

These networks are said to deceive or coerce individuals into selling their kidneys, often for a fraction of the potential market value.

The operations frequently occur under unsafe conditions, posing severe health risks to donors, the report notes.

The trade is fuelled by the high demand for kidney transplants and a shortage of legally available organs.

“Inadequate legal frameworks and corruption within certain segments of the medical community allow this illicit activity to persist,” the report says.

“There is [a] need for efforts to combat the problem including improving law enforcement, strengthening healthcare regulations, and increasing public awareness about the risks and legal implications of participating in such schemes.”

The report claims that harvested kidneys were shipped overseas, where they are sold for as much as Sh4 million.

Announcing the suspension of Mishra, President Ruto expressed his administration’s commitment to fighting corruption, including upholding integrity in healthcare, public safety, and justice for victims.

Mishra was appointed chairman of the board of directors of the Biovax Institute on November 22, 2024 to serve for three years.

He was Kesses MP for one term before losing to the little-known Julius Rutto.

Mishra is the proprietor of the Mediheal Group of Hospitals, which includes three branches in Eldoret, two in Nairobi and one in Nakuru.

But who is this man Mishra?

One of the harshest critics of President Ruto in the Rift Valley in the run-up to the 2022 General Election, Mishra vied as an independent candidate and was among leaders in the North Rift who were swept away by the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) wave in the region.

However, after the elections and humiliating defeat, Mishra made an about-turn and apologised to President Ruto. Perhaps this was the reason he was given a job.

In a statement Mishra issued after the elections, he heaped praise on the Kenya Kwanza administration.

“I express my unwavering confidence and trust in Dr Ruto’s presidency and his government. Since taking office, President Ruto has shown remarkable leadership, exemplified by his unyielding commitment to repositioning Kenya as Africa economic bellwether,” he said at a press conference then.

Independent candidates

As Deputy President, Ruto was categorical in calling on the electorate to ignore independents and only vote for UDA candidates, and many heeded that call in the August 9, 2022 polls.

Mishra, who had fallen out with Ruto, opted to vie as an independent candidate but lost to UDA candidate Julius Rutto, a former Uasin Gishu County Executive Committee member for finance.

During the hotly contested elections, Rutto garnered 32,839 votes against Mishra’s 21,404.

Mishra made history by becoming the first person of Asian origin to be elected MP in a Kalenjin-dominated region after he beat incumbent James Bett on a Jubilee Party ticket in 2017.

“I humbly request … my Kesses community to forgive me for the wrong decision which I took,” Mishra pleaded with the electorate after the humiliating defeat