Impoverished Young Men in Kenya are Selling their Kidneys in Return for Cash to Start their Own Businesses
The price of a kidney in Kenya? Just under $1,000 plus a motorbike. The youths are lured by the prospect of cash, with some being paid as much as $5,077 for a kidney. However, with the increase in young people seeking to donate their kidneys, the price has dropped to around $2,000. This is despite one kidney on the international illicit market costing on average $85,000. In western Kenya, youths based in rural areas serve as brokers and recruit vulnerable, healthy young men. These local brokers work closely with agents in cities such as Eldoret, who connect victims of organ trafficking to the clinics where the operations occur. Clinics and private hospitals in Eldoret are allegedly key nodes in the illicit harvesting and supply of kidneys to recipients in India.