The Gates Foundation has refuted "fake and misleading" social media claims alleging it operates a Nairobi lab to release mosquitoes. The foundation clarified that it "does not release mosquitoes, operate laboratories that do so, or run vector-control activities in Nairobi or anywhere else."

• The Gates Foundation supports Kenya's government-led malaria prevention efforts transparently.
• The foundation addressed concerns stemming from viral posts claiming the release of genetically modified mosquitoes causing harm.
• They confirmed support for gene drive technology research to eliminate malaria-carrying mosquitoes, a disease that kills nearly 600,000 people annually, mostly African children.
• Experimental releases of male mosquitoes have occurred in Burkina Faso since 2019, though the project was suspended in August 2025 due to safety concerns.
• The Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), with Imperial College London, plans to introduce genetically modified mosquitoes in Kenya.