The Gates Foundation has dismissed claims circulating on social media that it releases mosquitoes in Kenya, saying the allegations are false and misleading.
In a statement issued on February 9, the foundation said it does not release mosquitoes anywhere in the world, does not operate laboratories that release insects, and does not run mosquito or vector-control activities in Nairobi or any other location.
The foundation said the online posts making the claims are incorrect and risk spreading fear and confusion among the public.
Gates Foundation Responds
The claims have appeared on various social media platforms, where users allege that the foundation is involved in secret mosquito releases linked to disease research or population control.
“The Gates Foundation does not release mosquitoes, operate laboratories that do so, or run vector-control activities in Nairobi or anywhere else,” Gates Foundation stated.
According to the private foundation founded by billionaire Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates in 2000, Malaria prevention and control efforts in Kenya are led by Kenyan authorities and institutions.
They state that these efforts are guided by national laws, public health policies, and strict regulatory oversight.
The foundation said all malaria-related activities in the country are managed by Kenyan agencies, including government ministries, public health bodies, and research institutions.
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The Gates Foundation said its role in Kenya is limited to supporting Kenyan-led priorities in health and development.
“The foundation supports Kenyan-led priorities transparently and responsibly, working alongside governments, researchers, and public health partners,” the Gates Foundation concluded.
Gates Foundation on Malaria in Kenya
According to the foundation, its support for malaria work focuses on funding research, improving access to prevention tools, and strengthening health systems.
This includes support for proven interventions such as insecticide-treated bed nets, improved diagnostic tools, effective medicines, and stronger disease surveillance systems.
All such work is carried out by Kenyan institutions or international partners working with the approval of Kenyan authorities.
The foundation said transparency is central to its work.
It added that its grants, partnerships, and objectives are publicly available and subject to oversight by governments and independent bodies.
The foundation said it does not conduct secret projects and does not support activities that put communities at risk.
In response to the false claims, the foundation urged the public to rely on verified information from credible sources and to question content shared on social media without evidence.
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It said misinformation can distract from real health priorities and harm efforts to protect vulnerable populations.
Malaria Release in Africa
Claims that the Gates Foundation releases mosquitoes in Kenya did not emerge in isolation.
The claims partly draw on mosquito research conducted in other countries.
For more than a decade, the Gates Foundation has funded malaria research in different parts of the world.
Some of these studies involved genetically modified mosquitoes and were carried out by independent research institutions and biotechnology companies, not by the foundation itself.
One project frequently mentioned in online posts is Target Malaria, a research programme that operated in parts of West and East Africa, including Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Uganda.
The project focused on genetically modified male mosquitoes intended to reduce malaria transmission.
According to project documents, the mosquitoes do not bite humans and were released only after approval from national regulators in the countries involved.
In 2024 and 2025, online attention increased in Kenya during legal and political debates over the Gates Foundation’s status in the country.
Court cases challenging privileges and immunities granted to the foundation were widely shared online.
Some users linked these legal matters to allegations that the foundation was involved in undisclosed activities, including the release of mosquitoes.
No official records were cited in support of the claims.
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