President William Ruto has issued a gazette notice granting pardons to 37 individuals, including former Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) Director, Davy Koech.
Koech had previously been found guilty on three charges related to the fraudulent acquisition of public property and was sentenced to six years in prison back in September 2021. Among his offenses was the fraudulent acquisition of KEMRI’s property for Ksh. 800,000 on August 17, 2006, in Nairobi.
The second and third charges against him involved the illegal acquisition of Ksh. 6 million and Sh12.5 million from the research institution on December 12, 2006.
Furthermore, he was accused of corruptly transferring funds from the Vector Biological and Control Research (VBCR) account to his own account during his tenure as Managing Director. Specifically, Sh19.3 million was diverted from the institution’s bank accounts to his personal accounts, funds that were originally designated for the Kisumu Center for Disease Control.
In the same gazette notice dated July 21, 2023, President Ruto also pardoned 2,944 individuals convicted of petty offenses and 2,117 long-term offenders.
The pardoning of these individuals has raised discussions about justice, accountability, and the importance of upholding the rule of law.
