According to the DoJ, the indictment of Mwangi, 40, and Davendra Rampersaud, 42, a Guyanese national, followed an investigation by the USAID Office of the Inspector General into the KEMSA Medical Commodities Programme (MCP)
By The Weekly Vision Reporter
The United States has revealed how a Kenyan, Eric Ndung’u Mwangi, and a Guyanese national masterminded a cross-border syndicate that systematically stole HIV test kits and other medical commodities intended for the Kenya Medical Supplies Agency (KEMSA). The supplies were financed by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under a Sh84 billion (US$650 million) programme.
On Monday, 30 September, the US Department of Justice (DoJ) unsealed a 2021 indictment brought by a federal grand jury in the District of South Carolina, leading to Mwangi’s arrest and arraignment in court, where he now awaits prosecution. It remains unclear whether Mwangi was employed by KEMSA at the time of the thefts.
According to the DoJ, the indictment of Mwangi, 40, and Davendra Rampersaud, 42, a Guyanese national, followed an investigation by the USAID Office of the Inspector General into the KEMSA Medical Commodities Programme (MCP). The MCP was designed to establish and operate a safe, secure, and sustainable supply chain management system for HIV/AIDS commodities in Kenya, while also supporting the warehousing and distribution of family planning, nutrition, and malaria supplies.
Prosecutors allege that beginning in 2014, Mwangi and his company, Linear Diagnostics (LD), stole HIV test kits and other commodities from KEMSA and sold them to Rampersaud, who ran Caribbean Medical Supplies, Inc. (CMS) in Guyana. In 2015, Rampersaud fraudulently obtained a “Letter of Authority” to act as an authorised distributor, enabling him to secure a sole-source contract with the Guyana Ministry of Health to supply the stolen commodities.
Between 2015 and 2019, Rampersaud allegedly paid Mwangi more than Sh22.9 million (US$177,000) for the diverted USAID-funded supplies, which included HIV test kits. He then profited further by reselling them to the Guyanese government. Investigators also linked Rampersaud and CMS to test kits stolen from another USAID health programme.
Mwangi was arrested in February 2021 on charges of theft and fraud. If extradited to the United States, he faces up to 20 years in prison, fines, and a term of supervised release.
Rampersaud was arrested in January 2023 during a layover in Miami while travelling back to Guyana. He was transferred to Charleston, South Carolina, where he pleaded guilty to conspiracy and to stealing or converting USAID-funded health commodities. He was sentenced by US District Judge Richard M. Gergel, receiving credit for time served, three years of supervised release, and a fine of Sh11 million (US$84,000).
In a statement, the DoJ acknowledged the assistance of multiple US and international agencies, including the Department of State’s Regional Security Offices in Nairobi and Georgetown, US Customs and Border Protection, and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant US Attorneys Sean Kittrell and Dean Secor are prosecuting the case.
The DoJ emphasised that all charges in the indictment are merely accusations and that the defendants remain presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Ironically, the alleged thefts occurred despite assurances at the programme’s launch by then US Ambassador to Kenya, Robert Godec, who pledged transparency and strict oversight. At the time, Godec warned:
“Corruption is a crisis in Kenya. It undermines the country’s future, threatens economic growth, the delivery of government services, and security. Most critically, it jeopardises the health care system. It must end.”
