Former Kemri boss arrested over Sh19m loss

By Cyrus Ombati

Former Kenya Medical Research Institute (Kemri) director, Davy Koech, has been arrested over corruption claims.

Yesterday, the police questioned the long-serving Kemri boss, before locking him up in Nairobi.

His arrest is related to a fraud case in which Kemri lost more than Sh19.3 million when he was the director.

The Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission (KACC) said Dr Koech will appear before an anti-corruption court this morning.

KACC spokesman Nicholas Simani said Koech will face three counts of corruption, which include fraud and abuse of office.

Koech: To face corruption charges

Koech was picked up from his Nairobi residence by KACC detectives, and driven to Integrity House in Milimani, where he was grilled for hours.

No comment

He was later driven out of the offices at around midday, but he did not talk to journalists waiting outside.

Koech was suspended on August 16, last year, to facilitate investigation.

An audit report said Koech should be held responsible for the irregular transfer of Sh19.3 million from a joint Kemri and Centre for Disease Control (CDC) bank account.

The money was transferred from account number 01020-985421-00 to African Medical Services Trust’s account number 1020-690826 at Yaya Centre in Nairobi.

The investigation showed Koech was also a signatory to an "undisclosed and unauthorised" Kemri bank account number, through which Sh61,049,269.95 was received from Wellcome Trust (UK) in 2007.

CDC global health director Stephen Blount, warned the agency’s funding deal was in jeopardy.