A Gates Foundation spokesman quickly put the public’s mind at ease after a spate of social media claims that the charity had a laboratory in Nairobi that released mosquitoes. The foundation issued a statement on Monday, February 9th. In their statement, they write that the claims were false and that the public should ignore them.
The message it conveys is that the Gates Foundation releases no mosquitoes, operates no labs that release mosquitoes, and conducts no mosquito control activity in Nairobi or anywhere else.
The rumors started circulating online due to social media posts that claimed genetically modified mosquitoes were released from a Nairobi facility associated with the foundation, which claimed that they were biting residents, particularly vulnerable groups such as children and the aged. The foundation refuted the allegations as false.
Malaria control efforts in Kenya are in the hands of the government and not private organizations. The foundation clarified this by saying that its purpose is to provide support to the government programs financially and through research partnerships, but they do not participate actively in such programs. Their efforts are transparent and based on partnerships with other healthcare institutions.
This notwithstanding, the Gates Foundation has confirmed its support for the search for new ways to combat the malaria threat using gene drive technology, a solution which intends to modify the DNA of malaria-infected mosquitoes to cease malaria infestation or simply reduce their population in the long term, specifically targeting malaria-carrying mosquitoes and not other types of insects.
Similarly, this organization stated that malaria kills approximately 600,000 people annually and most of these deaths are young children in Africa. While malaria control tools like bed nets and drugs have helped save many lives, however, further tools are needed to finally eradicate the disease.
Community engagement is part of any public health research presented in this citation and cited by the foundation. It works in partnership with African institutions to ensure people are aware and involved. They referenced a study done in Burkina Faso in the past, where experimental male mosquito releases were carried out. The study was stopped by the Burkina Faso government in August 2025 due to safety and environmental issues.
In Kenya, the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), working with Imperial College London, has announced plans to study the use of genetically modified mosquitoes as part of malaria research.
The Gates Foundation urged Kenyans to rely on verified information from credible sources and not social media rumours.