US Government charges Kenyan over alleged theft of USAID-Funded HIV test kits in KEMSA project

The United States government has filed charges against a 40-year-old Kenyan accused of conspiring to steal medical supplies worth millions from the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA).

According to US prosecutors, the suspect worked with a 42-year-old Guyanese national in a scheme that saw HIV test kits and other medical commodities, supplied to Kenya through the USAID program, allegedly diverted for private gain.

The American government had committed medical supplies worth Ksh83 billion under USAID to support Kenya’s fight against HIV/AIDS. However, prosecutors claim the Kenyan suspect registered a company that was used to siphon test kits, which were then sold to a Guyanese-owned firm.

Court records show that between 2015 and 2019, the Guyanese paid the Kenyan more than Ksh22 million ($177,000) for the HIV kits intended for Kenyan patients. The Guyanese national later obtained a “Letter of Authority” enabling him to operate as a licensed distributor and even secured a sole-source contract with the Guyana Ministry of Health.

“This was an incredibly complicated investigation, spanning years and an ocean,” one US prosecutor told the court, adding that the suspects jeopardised a vital public health mission and caused significant losses to American taxpayers.

The US government further alleges that some of the test kits distributed in Guyana were also stolen from another USAID-funded programme.

If convicted, the Kenyan faces up to 20 years in prison, hefty fines, or restrictions under supervised release. Both suspects, however, remain innocent until proven guilty.