Millions Diamond and Zari would have paid someone to carry their baby
In season two of the Young, Rich and Famous reality show, Tanzanian singer Diamond Platinumz claimed that his South African based Ugandan socialite and baby mama, Zari Hassan, wanted more children by him but via surrogacy.
He revealed this as he flirted and hanged out with Ghanaian musician, Fantana, with whom he is romantically involved with despite being in a relationship with Tanzanian musician Zuchu, who is also his employee.
“Zari wanted another child with me. She wanted to get a surrogate to have the child,” Diamond told Fantana.
Zari has previously spoken about being open to having more kids with her husband, Shakib Lutaaya, but Diamond’s revelation to his new catch caught her off guard and earned him her wrath. She penned down a scathing attack aimed at Diamond and posted it online.
Zari and Diamond had three avenues to source for a surrogate. This could have been in Uganda, South Africa or Tanzania. The Monitor reported that in Uganda, potential parents required a minimum of $10,000 (Ush 37.14m, Sh 1.37m) to manage a surrogacy arrangement.
In Tanzania, the costs range between $10,000 and $25,000 for both the contracting parents and the surrogacy to have an arrangement until the baby is born; and some post-birth care.
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In South Africa, the former couple would have coughed up between $18,000 and $30,000 (Sh 2.5 m and Sh 4.13m) to contract a fertility, find a surrogate and pay for all costs involved.
As the drama continues unfolding, Nairobi News takes at look at what getting a surrogate to carry a pregnancy for a couple entails and the implications.
A couple can opt to contract another woman to carry their baby (surrogate). This can be due to medical conditions, age or a woman plainly deciding she does not want to experience pregnancy but would love to have her own children.
Fertility clinics screen women to find out their health, screen them for any diseases and mental well being before pairing them up with a family looking for a surrogate. Thereafter, the intended mother or an egg donor undergoes ovarian stimulation to produce multiple eggs.
Meanwhile, the surrogate prepares her uterus for pregnancy through hormonal medications. Once the eggs are retrieved, they are fertilized with the intended father’s sperm (or donor sperm) through in vitro fertilization (IVF). The resulting embryos are then transferred to the surrogate’s uterus.
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The surrogate carries the pregnancy and receives regular prenatal care. The intended parents may be involved in medical appointments and provide support throughout the pregnancy.
When the baby is born, legal proceedings take place to establish the intended parents as the legal parents of the child. This typically involves the completion of legal contracts and obtaining parental rights through court processes, which may differ based on the country’s laws.
In Kenya, there are no specific laws regarding surrogacy and the field is flooded with several private clinics that offer the services at exorbitant charges.
In some instances, young girls are paid a few thousands to sign up and carry the baby after being tested, but the people looking for surrogates end up paying millions to both the fertility clinic and in upkeep costs for the surrogate until the baby is born. The fertility industry is believed to be exploitative.
However, Mbita Member of Parliament, Millie Odhiambo, tabled a Bill that would see the implementation of laws that would govern and set standards for this medical practice in the country.
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