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4h ago

Kenyan Court Pauses U.S.-Linked Ebola Quarantine Centre After Local Protests

The ruling compels the government to disclose any agreements with Washington and leaves the facility's opening in doubt as authorities defend it as part of national preparedness.

A protester raises a Kenyan flag near a burning barricade during a demonstration against a proposed Ebola quarantine center to be established by the United States at Laikipia Air Base in Nanyuki, Kenya, Monday, June 1, 2026.
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Kavugho Hortense, a cook, delivers meals to the medical staff and Ebola patients at the Evangelical Medical Center (CEM) in Bunia, Congo, Monday, June 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)
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Overview

  • A Kenyan High Court extended a temporary suspension on Tuesday and ordered the government to disclose any agreements with the United States before the facility can be opened or used.
  • Hundreds of residents gathered at Laikipia Air Base in Nanyuki in protests that produced clashes with police and the use of tear gas after reports that U.S. personnel and equipment had arrived.
  • President William Ruto and Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale have defended the centre as a national preparedness measure while U.S. officials say the site would house Americans exposed abroad to avoid bringing Ebola cases into the United States.
  • The outbreak driving the plan is caused by the rare Bundibugyo ebolavirus, which has no licensed vaccine or approved treatment, prompting WHO to declare a public health emergency and prioritize candidate vaccines and therapies for trials.
  • With the court order and local resistance unresolved, the centre's future now depends on the legal process and disclosure of agreements, and the dispute could affect local health capacity, tourism, and Kenya's role in regional containment efforts.