KAMPALA (Reuters) – Ugandan lawmakers passed legislation on Thursday to ban any trade in human body parts, after a series of media reports about criminals using force and trickery to take people’s organs.
The law will impose punishments up to life imprisonment and fines up to 2 billion Ugandan shillings ($520,000) and introduce regulations to strengthen controls on organ transplants and donations, officials said.
According to the media reports, there have been cases where vulnerable domestic workers have lost kidneys and other organs after being pressed into having unnecessary operations.
The tissue was sold for use in transplants and other procedures abroad, the reports said.
“Parliament …. passes the Uganda Human Organ Donation and Transplant Bill, 2022 at third reading,” the assembly said on Twitter.
The legislation – a first for Uganda – was introduced in parliament in July and now awaits the president’s assent.
($1 = 3,850.0000 Ugandan shillings)
(Reporting by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
