Hundreds of young people in Nanyuki, a town in central Kenya, on Monday staged protests against plans to establish an Ebola quarantine centre for American citizens at the Laikipia Air Base.
The demonstrations followed a recent ruling by Kenya’s High Court, which suspended the creation of the facility and blocked the arrival of any foreign patients pending the determination of a case filed by the Law Society of Kenya and a constitutional watchdog group. The petition argued that Kenya’s health system is too fragile to accommodate high-risk foreign Ebola cases.
The proposed facility had been announced by U.S. officials, who said Americans exposed to Ebola while abroad would be transferred to a quarantine centre in Kenya rather than being repatriated. The facility, planned for Laikipia Air Base, was expected to have 50 quarantine beds and become operational within days.
On Monday, protesters marched toward the gates of the military base, chanting anti-Ebola slogans and demanding that the plan be halted. Many expressed fears that the presence of infected individuals could expose surrounding communities to the virus.
Kenya’s Health Minister Aden Duale had earlier stated that the quarantine centre was intended for “everyone” and not exclusively for U.S. nationals, in an attempt to address public concerns.
The U.S. government has reportedly pledged $13.5 million toward Kenya’s Ebola preparedness programme, according to statements attributed to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Local leaders in Laikipia County, including Governor Joshua Irungu, have also voiced opposition to the project, warning that hosting Ebola patients could put residents and workers at risk due to the proximity of the air base to civilian activity.
“This will expose our people to Ebola,” the governor said, noting that many residents work within the facility’s perimeter.
Kenya has not recorded any confirmed Ebola cases. However, neighbouring Uganda has reported multiple infections, while outbreaks in the region have continued to raise concern among health authorities.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, health officials have reported hundreds of confirmed Ebola cases and over a thousand suspected infections linked to the Bundibugyo strain, which currently has no widely approved treatment or vaccine.
As tensions rise, the dispute highlights broader concerns over public health preparedness, international cooperation, and community trust in emergency disease containment measures across East Africa.
