Protests Erupt in Kenya Over Proposed Ebola Quarantine Facility for US Citizens

Hundreds of youths in Nanyuki, Kenya, protested plans to establish an Ebola quarantine centre at Laikipia Air Base for Americans exposed to the virus. The move is currently suspended by a High Court order following a legal challenge over safety concerns about Kenya’s health system. The US says it is in talks with Kenyan authorities and plans to support Ebola preparedness, while officials said the facility would have about 50 quarantine beds.

Hundreds of youths in Nanyuki, a town in central Kenya, on Monday staged demonstrations against plans to establish an Ebola quarantine centre at the Laikipia Air Base, intended to host American citizens who may have been exposed to the virus.
The protests came just two days after Kenya’s High Court issued a temporary suspension blocking the establishment of the facility and halting the arrival of any foreign patients. The court order will remain in place pending the hearing of a case filed by the Law Society of Kenya together with a constitutional watchdog group, the Katiba Institute.
On Monday, large groups of youths marched toward the gates of the air base while chanting anti-Ebola slogans and expressing strong opposition to the proposed arrangement.
The organisations that filed the court case argued that Kenya’s health system remains fragile and may not be adequately equipped to safely handle foreign Ebola patients without posing additional risks to the local population.
Describing the plan as controversial, Kenya’s Health Minister Aden Duale defended the proposal on Sunday, stating that the quarantine centre was not designed exclusively for United States citizens but would serve “everyone” who might require such medical isolation.
Meanwhile, the United States government said it remains engaged with Kenyan authorities and is optimistic that the concerns surrounding the proposed Ebola isolation facility can be resolved despite the court’s temporary suspension of the project.
In a statement issued on May 30, the Office of Jeremy P. Lewin, the US undersecretary for foreign assistance, humanitarian affairs, and religious freedom, said: “We are aware of the court action filed in Kenya against the Ebola isolation facility. We are in touch with Kenyan authorities and are optimistic we can resolve objections.”
The US government also intends to commit about $13.5 million toward Kenya’s Ebola preparedness efforts, according to a statement attributed to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Separately, US officials disclosed on Thursday that Washington was planning to send American citizens who are exposed to Ebola while abroad to a newly designated facility in Kenya instead of repatriating them directly to the United States.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to publicly discuss the plans, said the facility would be located at Laikipia Air Base and would include about 50 quarantine beds once operational.