Manhood Transplant and donation is almost becoming a reality in the country as the government has proposed laws to govern the process.
Submissions by the Ministry of Health to the Kenya National Blood Transfusion Services Bill 2020 made last month, detail how Kenyans can legally get a penis transplant.
Though these proposals have been opposed by the Parliamentary Health Committee, the ministry says it will still push for an organ transplant law because it is a requirement of the Health Act 2017.
Despite the setback, the submissions indicate how an organ transplant law in Kenya will look like while addressing penis transplant for the first time.
The issue comes at a time medical experts are concerned over the growing threat to manhood due to increasing cancers, botched circumcisions, violence, and road accidents.
For example, while in the 1990s just about two cases of penile cancer were being recorded at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) annually, this has jumped to about 50 cases nationally.
Last year, the World Health Organisation (WHO) in its Globocan report estimated the prevalence of penile cancer in Kenya at 53 cases annually with about 18 deaths.
The report indicated penile cancer, mainly linked to the Human Papilloma Virus, which also causes cervical cancer in women, is still low in Kenya but on the rise.
An earlier study by Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha had estimated about two cases of penile cancer annually at KNH between 1970 and1999.
Prof Magoha, a urologist, had with Prof Zipporah Ngumi reported 55 cases of penile cancer during the 30-year study period. On average the patients were aged 48 with most cases reported in the late stages.
The first penis transplant was carried out in 2006 in China. It was however unsuccessful due to body rejection. The man’s wife also reportedly rejected it.
The first successful penis transplant was performed in South Africa in 2014, involving a 21-year-old recipient who lost his penis due to a botched circumcision.
Last year, a team of 15 medical specialists, led by Prof Stanley Khainga, made history when they reattached a completely chopped off penis to a 16-year-old boy at KNH.
The boy from Embu County had been attacked by unknown assailants at their home. Assaults, violence, as well as road accidents, have also been cited as a major cause of penile injuries, especially among younger men.
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“There is a change in the pattern of the cause of penile conditions at this hospital, from infections to injuries,” says Pius Musau, a consultant urologist at Moi Referral and Teaching Hospital, Eldoret.
Similar observations have also been reported at KNH and recently at St Mary’s Mission Hospital, Nairobi.
To avoid favouritism and corruption, the Bill says allocation will be done automatically through modern algorithms.
The proposals make it clear that no body organ, tissue, or blood will be exchanged for money. “A person shall not buy, sell, or otherwise deal with any body organ or tissue for financial gain.”
A person breaking this law may be fined Sh10 million or go to jail for 10 years or both. A person who receives illegally acquired body tissues will face a similar punishment while a facility that contravenes the law will be fined Sh20 million and lose operating licence for three years.
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