These are the final chapters in the serialization of the malpractices at the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) Kenya workplace. As in the first chapters (1 and 2), IAVI is not living up to the organization’s values and the working environment is severely toxic with incidences of very bad and unacceptable workplace behaviours’, unethical research practices and unfair labour practices.
- Donor Fraud: International AIDS Vaccine Initiative – Chapter 1 of 3
- Fraud At IAVI: Infringement On the Privacy of Staff – Chapter 2 of 3
Chapter 3: UNETHICAL RESEARCH PRACTICES:
It is very unfortunate that Dr. Kundai Chinyenze is the same Medical Doctor who is responsible for ensuring safety of people/research participants involved in ongoing research activities at IAVI Clinical Research Centres and of most concern is the recent unacceptable and unethical behaviour which has extended to research participants.
The clinician does not implement research procedures in ways as to protect the participant’s confidentiality. This bad behaviour that she possesses severely affects her capacity for maintaining participant confidentiality and this has been of real concern to us, IAVI staff, especially because donors who give the organization money expect IAVI staff to uphold utmost ethical standards in clinical management of human beings participating in research, yet this isn’t happening.
In addition to impacting on research participants confidentiality, rights, and well-being we fear that their safety will be severely impacted now or in the future, if this isn’t immediately addressed.
It is a known fact that Dr. Kundai Chinyenze openly discloses participant information to other people within and out of the organization, yet some of the research participants are from very vulnerable and stigmatized groups such as Men having Sex with Men (MSMs), Commercial Sex Workers (CSWs) and People Infected with HIV/AIDS (some known within communities where they come from) and this level of non-confidentiality continues to expose the affected research participants to further stigmatization and social risks and potential harms.
How can a medical doctor who has the responsibility of providing medical expertise and oversight for research and for addressing safety concerns for research participants be the same one who violates some of the associated medical principles?
Of more concern is that staff are aware of these unacceptable practices by Dr. Kundai Chinyenze but are gagged and in serious fear of the consequences of openly discussing their concerns with other staff internally or relevant authorities externally.
One member of staff was seriously frustrated for not being able to navigate and stop these malpractices. The staff member resigned after working only for a few months for not being able to withstand and control the rampant integrity issues that is being perpetrated by senior staff at the organization.
Chapter 4: MONEY LAUNDERING & MISUSE OF USAID & NIH DONOR FUNDS
Staff are further concerned that despite having reported the incidences of malpractices, IAVI continues to incur huge expenses to pay air and accommodation tickets for foreigners and pay huge amounts of money to these perpetrators and other foreign and local organizations, under the pretext of conducting investigations which are usually done in very opaque styles and yielding very shoddy and shallow findings.
We recently established that these foreign and local organizations are conduits for MONEY LAUNDERING and this is ochestered by some senior staff at IAVI HQ and aided and abetted by Dr. Anatoli, the Kenya Director contrary to Donor regulations and Government of Kenya Laws.
From the latest funding received by IAVI, from United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) amounting to US$160M and US$ 98M respectively, significant amounts have been channelled to these foreign and local organizations for use in other reasons such as the fake investigation to cover up for the reported malpractices and other unknown uses and we find this to be grossly wrong and inexcusable as it goes against the intended purpose of the development of safe, effective, accessible, preventive HIV vaccines and biomedical prevention products for use throughout the world for which USAID, NIH and the American people, through their hard earned taxes supports the organization for.
The concerned staff of IAVI Kenya are now working under intense fear and are appealing for intervention to bring these mal-practices to an end.
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This is not the first time this site is covering the rot at IAVI. No action has been taken to correct the malpractice. Impunity works when one is being protected by a superior power; who at USAID Kenya is protecting Dr. Chinyenze Kundai?
