A woman from Likoni in Mombasa has sparked nationwide controversy after sharing a video online where she offered to sell her eggs for KSh 80,000 and provide her womb for rent at KSh 40,000 monthly to couples experiencing infertility.
In the recording, she specifies that prospective clients must also cover her living expenses including accommodation, food, and all medical costs. To instill confidence in potential customers, she asserts that she employs a legal professional to manage documentation, ensuring the intended parents can safely take the child home following delivery without legal complications.
While it remains uncertain if the woman is genuine or merely making an empty threat, she has already contravened recently enacted legislation that strengthens the legal framework for assisted reproduction.
The National Assembly recently approved the Assisted Reproductive Technology Bill, a new measure specifically intended to prohibit the commercialization of childbirth. The legislation completely prohibits the sale of human eggs and the leasing of wombs for financial gain.
Under these new provisions, surrogacy must be entirely altruisticconducted purely out of goodwill. A surrogate mother cannot receive profits; she may only be reimbursed for actual hospital expenses and essential pregnancy requirements.
Moreover, to prevent foreign exploitation of local women, these services are exclusively available to Kenyan citizens. Individuals violating these regulations face substantial penalties or imprisonment of up to ten years. Ultimately, this viral video demonstrates precisely why the authorities are rapidly working to regulate this sector.
Prior to the enactment of this law, Kenya had operated in a legal gray area concerning surrogacy for several years. Without stringent oversight, people have frequently resorted to private, undisclosed arrangements to have children, leaving many vulnerable, economically disadvantaged women susceptible to exploitation by affluent clients.