Duale Dismisses 'Misleading' Reports on Kenya Exporting Human Blood

By Ken Muthomi - Reporter

Kenya, 7 May 2026 - The Ministry of Health has dismissed reports alleging that the government exports human blood and blood fractions as misleading and a misinterpretation of international trade data.

In a statement, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale clarified that the trade classification highlighted in a report on the World Integrated Trade Solutions (WITS) covers a range of pharmaceutical and biological products, and not donated blood collected for transfusion services.

Duale noted that the category of “Human and animal blood” in the report is a trade classification that includes substances, including vaccines, toxins, antisera, and other blood-derived products, microbial cultures, and similar products.

“This classification is a broad customs category covering a wide range of pharmaceutical, laboratory, diagnostic, research, and biological products. Importantly, this classification does not include donated blood collected for transfusion services,” Duale noted.

“The Ministry of Health does not export any donated blood or components of blood for purposes of manufacturing blood-derived products in a foreign country,” he added.

Duale has further said that the statistics in the report include medical products handled by multinational companies operating regional supply and logistics hubs based in Kenya.

These companies import and redistribute pharmaceutical and laboratory products to other countries within the East African region.

More from Kenya

Somalia Needs Cooperation, Laws to Srcure Borders, Official Says

Prosperity Party Wins 438 Seats in Ethiopia’s Parliament

Kenya does not manufacture antisera, which are used in blood grouping and laboratory diagnostic or plasma-derived blood products, nor does it undertake plasma fractionation for products such as clotting factors, albumin, and immunoglobulins, according to the CS.

The CS has maintained that all blood products used in the country’s healthcare ecosystem are sourced internationally from accredited manufacturers.

The Ministry, in collaboration with the relevant security agencies, will spearhead investigations and take the necessary legal actions against individuals spreading false information, according to Duale.

“The said report and similar reports of trade flows through Kenya should be interpreted with caution to avoid circulating misleading information. In this regard, the public is requested to get the right information from the Ministry of Health,” Duale stated.