“I’m Weak”: Kenyan Man Who Sold Kidney at R71k to Buy Motorbike and Educate Siblings, Regrets Move
- Ben Otieno confessed that he sold his kidney at R71,44 to pay school fees for his orphaned siblings
- He said that he was linked to an organ-harvesting broker who took him to Eldoret, where he met the recipient of the kidney and underwent surgery to remove his kidney
- A year later, Otieno, who also used part of the money to buy a motorbike, is not proud of his decision, saying his body is weak and he struggles to do daily chores
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Last week, It was highlighted concerning reports that showed young and low-income Kenyans had resorted to selling kidneys as their way out of poverty.
Source: UGC
Organ harvesting syndicate in Kenya
One of the studies published by the Institute of Security Studies (ISS) captured how organ syndicates were preying on poor Kenyans.
The Kenya Renal Association Conference (KRACON) held in Mombasa pointed to cases of individuals donating kidneys to non-relatives in contravention of Kenyan law.
Man sells kidney to buy motorbike
He narrated his experience.
"Through a local middleman I consulted, they told me they would offer me R71,444 I had seen one of my friends with a new motorbike and asked him how he acquired it and that was when he linked be to the broker," recounted the 35-year-old, who regrets his move.
According to Otieno, his friend told him he got money to expand his business by selling one of his kidneys. Otieno was also a rider.
The friend linked him to the middleman in the organ harvesting syndicate, and after agreeing on the amount he would get for his kidney, Otieno was scheduled for a clinic in Eldoret.
Otieno was with two other young men when he visited the clinic for an assessment before the kidney removal.
Kidney transplant hospitals in Eldoret
Otieno termed the kidney removal process ambiguous and risky and would not advise anyone to undergo it.
"We went to a private hospital in Eldoret three days after I, together with the two others interested in selling their kidneys, concluded negotiating with the broker," said Otieno.
This was in early 2023, according to Otieno.
"He took me and the two others for tests and to meet the receiver of the kidney whom I talked to, and we agreed," said Otieno, adding that he sympathised with the receiver who seemingly had suffered kidney problems for a long time and both kidneys were affected then.
"The surgery started at around 9 a.m., and I only returned to my senses six hours later. There was not much pain, but I had to remain at the hospital for medical checkups and post-surgery assessment for over a week," he noted.
The youthful man confessed that he decided on his wife's back because he knew she would not consent to it.
Kenyan man sells kidney for R71k
Otieno, a father of two, said the obligation to provide for his wife, their two children, and his three orphaned siblings pushed him to sell his kidney.
"I had three orphans to take care of and my own family. I tried so many ways to find school fees for them because I didn't want them to drop out of school like I did. The recipient paid me R71,444 which I used to pay for the entire high school fees for my siblings," he narrated.
The rest of the money he earned was used to buy a motorcycle and build a semi-permanent house on his father's land.
Over a year later. Otieno is not proud of the decisions he made and called on other Kenyans not to donate their organs for money because of the post-surgery complications.
Effects of kidney donation
"I would not advise anyone to sell a kidney. Whatever you go through during and after the removal is hurtful. Besides, it's illegal. My body is weaker than before. I struggle to do ordinary chores that I initially did with ease," added Otieno.
He also noted some of the humiliation he had endured since making that decision, citing an incident when his middleman warned him not to mention his name in case he got arrested, as that would ruin his business.
"I remember being arrested the day I left the hospital. I had to find my way out because I had been warned not to say who took me there. Sometimes, they buy your kidney and then set up to police officers who extort you all the money you got because they know the business is illegal.," he recounted.
He also said he had witnessed the middleman arrested only once, but since then, he has been doing his business as usual.
His cry echoes the concerns of the International Society of Nephrology, which acknowledged cases of illegal or non-relative organ transplant cases in Kenya.
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Source: TUKO.co.ke
