KEMRI Seals a Multi-Billion Pact with Oxford University

KEMRI Seals a Multi-Billion Pact with Oxford University

The Kenya Medical and Research Institute (KEMRI) has officially entered into a monumental Ksh15 billion Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Wellcome, a renowned charitable foundation based in the UK, alongside the esteemed University of Oxford. This strategic alliance aims to bolster Kenya’s capabilities in health research and training.

In a statement released on Friday, March 26, KEMRI announced that the agreement was inked at Wellcome’s London headquarters by Acting Director General and CEO Elijah Songok, Wellcome’s Chief Executive Officer John-Arne Røttingen, and Prof. Gavin Screaton, head of Medical Sciences at Oxford’s Nuffield Department.

This collaboration will see the University of Oxford and Wellcome Trust actively supporting health research initiatives in Kenya over the next seven years.

For more than thirty years, KEMRI has fostered a close partnership with these institutions, resulting in significant scientific advancements and research efforts aimed at combating diseases such as malaria, pneumonia, meningitis, HIV, and malnutrition, as well as the development and testing of two malaria vaccines and the Rift Valley Fever vaccine.

“The agreement was finalized on the evening of March 27, 2025, at Wellcome’s headquarters in London, representing a substantial leap forward for medical research and training in Kenya,” the statement noted.

As part of this partnership, Wellcome and the University of Oxford have committed to funding research activities with a remarkable investment of up to GBP 91 million (KES 15 billion) over the next seven years.

Elijah Songok welcomed this development, highlighting that the KEMRI-Wellcome-Oxford Programme has been responsible for more than 30 percent of KEMRI’s research output throughout the years. He emphasized that this initiative is pivotal in steering Kenya towards achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

“The Programme stands as one of KEMRI’s flagship research and training endeavors, consistently making significant contributions to health research and capacity development,” he remarked.

“As we embark on this renewed partnership with Wellcome and the University of Oxford, we are reaffirming our dedication to pioneering research and innovative solutions that tackle some of the most pressing health challenges of our era,” he added.

Both John-Arne Røttingen and Prof. Screaton underscored that this collaboration is part of a broader effort to confront urgent global health issues, including climate change, mental health, and infectious diseases, while also promoting equitable research partnerships worldwide.