Eight patients to receive kidneys in Mulago’s fifth transplant round

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Mulago National Referral Hospital has started a new round of kidney transplant surgeries as Uganda continues efforts to expand access to specialised kidney care in public hospitals.

Hospital officials say the latest phase, which started on Monday (February 2), will take three days and is expected to cover eight donor-recipient pairs, marking the fifth round of kidney transplant operations conducted at the facility since the program began.

Mulago senior communications manager Gladys Kajura said the procedures are being carried out by a specialised medical team and that the hospital will engage the media later this week after the surgeries to avoid interfering with clinical work. 

The Ministry of Health described the exercise as part of ongoing efforts to reduce reliance on costly overseas referrals for patients with end-stage kidney disease. Ministry communication manager Emmanuel Ainebyoona confirmed that the current round builds on previous transplant exercises conducted at the national referral hospital.

“Mulago will today start conducting the fifth edition of kidney transplants. Eight pairs are expected to be worked on, according to the executive director, Dr Rosemary Byanyima,” Ainebyoona told New Vision.

Uganda carried out its first locally conducted kidney transplant in December 2023, following years of preparation and training. Since then, Mulago has progressively expanded the service, with nine patients receiving free kidney transplants by mid-2025.

According to government estimates, each transplant costs about sh40 million, a figure health officials say is significantly lower than the cost of sending patients abroad for the same procedure.

Kidney specialist Peace Bagasha, who has been part of all transplants and is currently on the team doing the latest transplants at Mulago, said eligibility for transplantation is for patients already on or not on dialysis, of whom there are more than 400 nationwide. She noted that donors must be close relatives and are subjected to rigorous medical and ethical assessments.

“For one to be eligible for a transplant, you must have kidney failure. Whether or not on dialysis, a committee assesses who is eligible. We ask Ugandans to always avoid conditions that put their kidneys in danger, and then early detection will always save you from kidney diseases,” Bagasha told New Vision.

Doctors also assess whether patients can afford lifelong post-transplant medication, which costs approximately sh1.5 million per month, a requirement that continues to exclude many potential beneficiaries.

Uganda’s organ transplant programme operates under the Human Organ Donation and Transplant Act, which prohibits the sale of organs and requires all donations to be voluntary and free of coercion.

The hospital has also received technical support from international partners, including specialists from Kidney Care UK, who worked with local teams during previous transplant exercises in 2025.

Ainebyoona said while the numbers remain modest, repeated transplant rounds are laying the groundwork for making kidney transplantation a regular service at Uganda’s largest public hospital.