Kenyan police used tear gas to disperse protesters in the town of Nanyuki, about 120 miles (193 km) from the capital Nairobi, as anger grows over the US plan.
A man was shot in the head during a demonstration against a proposed US Ebola quarantine facility for American citizens. Photographs from the scene showed a person lying motionless on the ground.
Dozens gathered near the Laikipia air base, the planned site of the quarantine center in Nanyuki. Some carried protective equipment and a coffin reading “Ebola.”
Several people were arrested, and police fired tear gas to break up the small crowd. Protesters said they opposed the center in part because they did not want potentially contagious people entering Kenya.
National outrage has intensified in recent weeks. In a protest on Monday last week in the same town, two people were killed.
The US government plans to send 30 medical workers to the Nanyuki facility, which would have 50 beds once completed.
Following a petition by the nonprofit Katiba Institute, a Nairobi court late last month temporarily blocked the establishment of the facility and barred the admission of people at risk of Ebola exposure into Kenya. Last week, the court also prohibited the Kenyan government from proceeding with the plan before the case is resolved. The next hearing is scheduled for June 23.
However, Kenyan President William Ruto has vowed to continue with the plan, citing the country’s debt to Washington for years of aid support.
Health officials in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are struggling to contain an Ebola outbreak. The outbreak was declared on May 15, but the virus is believed to have circulated silently for weeks earlier.
The outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, for which no approved vaccine or treatment exists. The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared it a public health emergency of international concern.
As of June 6, WHO figures show the DRC has recorded 515 confirmed cases, including 91 deaths, while Uganda has 19 confirmed cases, including two deaths, plus one probable death. No cases have been reported in Kenya.
