KEMRI is Kenya's national centre of excellence for health research β established by Act of Parliament in 1979 and built, over four decades, into one of Africa's most consequential scientific institutions. This is the story of who we are, how we are governed, and where we are headed.
The Kenya Medical Research Institute was established by an Act of Parliament in 1979 with a singular, enduring mandate: to conduct and coordinate health research for Kenya. Four decades later, that mandate has grown into the most comprehensive health research infrastructure in East Africa β fourteen specialist research centres, over 4,000 scientific staff, and a presence in every one of Kenya's 47 counties.
KEMRI is not a university research department, nor a single-disease research unit, nor a development organisation's research arm. It is something more singular and more significant: a national institution whose entire purpose is the generation of the scientific evidence that protects, informs, and advances the health of Kenya and, through its work, the health of Africa.
That national mandate is the foundation of everything KEMRI does β from the research questions it pursues to the partnerships it builds to the policy influence it exercises. KEMRI exists because Kenya recognised, in 1979, that a nation serious about its health future needed a nationally mandated scientific institution to generate the evidence that future would require.
"To carry out research in human health and other related fields with the aim of improving the health status of all people, particularly those in Kenya and Africa."
KEMRI's executive leadership team combines deep scientific credentials with institutional management experience β the combination required to lead Kenya's national health research institution.
Twenty-five years in public health leadership across government and international organisations. Holds a PhD in epidemiology and has led KEMRI's institutional modernisation since his appointment, including the expansion of the genomic surveillance programme.
Oversees KEMRI's full research portfolio across all fourteen centres. A virologist by training, she has been instrumental in establishing KEMRI's WHO Collaborating Centre status and its innovation commercialisation programme.
Leads KEMRI's institutional governance, finance, and operations functions. Brings two decades of public sector financial management experience, ensuring the institutional infrastructure that supports KEMRI's scientific mission.
Manages KEMRI's network of over 30 international partnerships, including its relationships with Wellcome Trust, NIH, and Africa CDC. Previously held a senior position at a major global health funding organisation.
KEMRI's Board of Directors provides strategic oversight and institutional accountability, combining government representation, scientific expertise, and independent governance experience.
From a single Act of Parliament to Kenya's most comprehensive health research institution β the milestones that built KEMRI.
KEMRI's governance infrastructure is what makes it a trustworthy partner for funders, a credible advisor to government, and a safe environment for the communities who participate in its research.
KEMRI's strategic direction is built around four institutional commitments β the priorities that will define the next chapter of its national and continental scientific leadership.
Whether you are a funder, a scientist, a government partner, or simply curious about Kenya's national health research institution β there are many ways to engage with KEMRI's work.