This archive report was first published on 15 July 2020.
On July 12, 2020, St Andrew's School Turi in Kenya sent 24 samples to Lancet for Covid-19 testing, only to receive contradictory results three days later.
According to the school, the samples were then sent to the Kenya Medical Research Institute (Kemri) for retesting, and the 17 staff members who initially tested positive were declared negative.
This incident raises questions about the authenticity of Covid-19 tests conducted by Lancet and whether Kenyans can trust the results.
It is not the first time Lancet has faced scrutiny over its testing results. In June, the laboratory was under investigation following claims that its Covid-19 test results were not credible.
Two women received conflicting results from Lancet and Nairobi Hospital, with one lab showing they had Covid-19 and the other indicating they were negative.
On July 7, 2020, Kemri and Lancet Laboratory Mombasa gave contradicting Covid-19 results for the same samples.
One of the teachers at St Andrew's School Turi expressed frustration over the situation, saying, 'It is embarrassing. One wonders what Lancet is up to.'
Kiambu MP Jude Njomo's mother was also allegedly misdiagnosed by Lancet, with the family burying her after being told she died of Covid-19, only to have a repeat test at Nairobi Hospital return negative results.
