“I wanted to sell a kidney to fund myeducation; MKU Foundation rescued me”
I hail from Seahorse village in Kibarani ward, Kilifi North Constituency, Kilifi County. I sat for my Kenya
Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations at Ribe Boys High School in 2015, and scored a B+. I was admitted to Karatina University to study Micro Biology.
But my heart was into medicine and surgery. I have always wanted to become a doctor. So I trained my sights on Mount Kenya University College of Health Sciences. But the biggest challenge was to get funds to pay my tuition.
I learnt that my studies would take six years to complete, at a cost of KES1.6 million. That’s a lot of money. There was simply no way my family could raise it. Things were really bad. We are nine children in my family.
Some are in secondary school, thus piling more pressure for fees onto my father. Nothing broke my heart
more than seeing him break down in tears over the desperation. I went on a begging spree, approaching
would-be well-wishers, donors, county and national governments for help. But all my efforts were fruitless.
At the Kilifi North constituency development offices, I sought out the area MP and the Governor. But the outcome was the same. It was at this moment of desperation that I mustered the courage to offer my
kidney for sale. I was interviewed by a Nairobi News reporter whom I informed that I was offering one of
my kidneys for KES2 million. I knew from my Biology lessons in high school that one can survive on one
kidney.
Why did I need two while I was suffering in this manner financially? The interview changed my
life. When Mount Kenya University Board Chairman Prof Simon Gicharu read it, he offered me a scholarship to study Clinical Medicine at MKU.
It was only after I received this scholarship did it dawn on me just how much danger I was willing to face,
driven by desperation. I read that in the black market, a kidney fetches as much as KES13 million. But the
donors get as little at KES200,000, and that’s if they are lucky enough to actually get out of the surgery
table alive. The kidney cartels in Pakistan and India may harvest both kidneys, liver, pancreas, lungs, and
eyes. You may go there with hope but disappear forever. MKU Foundation rescued me from this danger.
With my Degree in Clinical Medicine and Community Health, I also want to help many people in return.”