Kenyan President William Ruto has strongly defended a planned U.S.-backed Ebola quarantine (isolation) facility at a military air base in central Kenya. The President stated that the facility is part of the country’s proactive national preparedness plan and reflects a long-running health partnership with Washington spanning several decades.
Last week, the Kenyan government approved a U.S. request to establish a 50-bed facility at a military air force base for Americans who may have been exposed to the Ebola virus. However, this decision has sparked significant controversy and protests within the country.
Residents and local leaders in Nanyuki, a town located near the Laikipia Air Base where the facility is scheduled to be built, took to the streets on Monday to stage a major protest. The demonstrators expressed deep fears that the facility could expose the local community to an Ebola outbreak. They also questioned why Kenya should host a quarantine center specifically for U.S. citizens. Following the outcry, the matter escalated to the legal system, and a Kenyan court temporarily suspended the plan last week, accepting a lawsuit arguing that the site could endanger public health.
Speaking about the facility for the first time, President William Ruto dismissed the criticism and protests.
“The facility at Laikipia Air Base is no different from any other similar health facilities we have across Kenya,” he told reporters in northern Kenya late Monday, urging the public not to doubt the government’s preparedness capacity.
Ruto explained that he approved the facility after U.S. President Donald Trump requested Kenya’s support. He pointed out that this decision is grounded in decades of successful cooperation with Washington on health programs targeting HIV/AIDS, Ebola, and COVID-19. He added that Kenya has already prepared isolation, surveillance, and treatment facilities across 23 counties, and that this new facility would serve both Kenyans and Americans alike if the need arises.
The President further emphasized that Kenya has a duty to prepare for any potential Ebola risks, including for its own citizens living or serving in the Democratic Republic of Congo. “We are a responsible government; we know exactly what we are doing,” he asserted. However, during his address, the President did not acknowledge the existence of the court’s suspension order.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda are currently battling a severe outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus. The outbreak has killed 48 people so far, prompting the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare it a public health emergency of international concern. The spread of the virus is reportedly outpacing the speed of the global response.
Flight tracking data in the Nanyuki area revealed that a U.S. military C-130 transport plane recently flew into the location. Local residents also reported seeing military aircraft heading toward the base over the weekend.
Kenya has significantly tightened screening measures at both its land and air borders, currently screening about 3,000 people daily. President Ruto reassured the public that no cases of Ebola have been detected in Kenya so far.
