Friends, scholars and education stakeholders are mourning the demise of Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) former CEO and co-founder Dr. Davy Kiprotich Koech.
Dr. Koech passed on yesterday; September 5, 2024 aged 73 years after a long battle with illness.
The late Dr. Koech has been eulogized as a pioneering force in the field of immunology and molecular medicine, that made significant contributions to the global understanding of HIV/AIDS and other emerging tropical diseases during the 1980s and 1990s.
One of his key achievements was becoming the youngest director at KEMRI at just 28 years old, a post he held for a quarter century and was a key player in transforming it into a world-renowned research institution from what was incepted in 1979 by him alongside Prof. Mutuma Mugambi.
Dr. Koech also chaired the Commission of Inquiry into Kenya’s Education System in 1999, producing the Koech Report which sought to reform the country’s education landscape.
Globally, the late Dr. Koech was nominated for the Genius Laureate of the American Biographical Institute in 2006, and a place among the 500 Greatest Geniuses of the 21st Century, a feat only achieved by few people.
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In terms of education, the late studied Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and Zoology at the University of Nairobi (UoN) and graduated in 1974. He also earned a Master of Science in Pharmacology at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and later a PhD. in Medical Pathology, and Immunology from UoN, before conducting his research at Harvard Medical School.
“His peers and protégés often described him as a man of immense intellect, unyielding in his pursuit of solutions to Kenya’s most pressing health challenges. But there was more to Koech than his scientific credentials. He was a mentor, a public servant, and above all, a patriot whose life’s work was fuelled by a desire to see his country rise,” the family eulogized him in a statement.
The family announced that it will communicate further arrangements on funeral preparations in due time.
By Vostine Ratemo
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