Hundreds of Kenyans took to the streets in the town of Nanyuki on Monday and Tuesday to protest against a US-built Ebola quarantine center at the Laikipia Air Base, which borders a Kenyan military facility. The demonstrations turned violent on Monday, resulting in at least two deaths and one injury.
US officials earlier confirmed to the press that the facility would treat American citizens infected with the Ebola virus while abroad, rather than allowing them to be repatriated. The plan has drawn fierce opposition from Kenyan citizens and the country's health workers' union.
Kenya has never reported an Ebola case and currently has no confirmed infections. However, residents fear that bringing in patients from abroad could lead to an outbreak. The Kenya Union of Clinical Officers, Pharmacists and Dentists declared they would not allow Kenya to be treated as a 'quarantine colony,' stating, 'If it's too dangerous for the US, it's too dangerous for Kenya.'
The World Health Organization declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on May 17 after detecting a rare strain of the Bundibugyo virus that had been circulating for weeks in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Unlike the more common Zaire strain, no vaccine or treatment has been approved for the Bundibugyo strain. The virus has spread to neighboring Uganda, with 321 cases and 48 deaths in the DRC, along with one death and nine cases in Uganda.
Kenya's government has defended the project. President William Ruto said he agreed to a request from US President Donald Trump, calling it a cooperative deal with friends who have stood by Kenya for decades. However, a Nairobi court has ordered a suspension of construction and patient intake for at least three weeks, following a lawsuit by civil society groups who argue the plan lacked community consultation and poses risks to Kenya's weak health system.
The US has pledged $13.5 million for Kenya's Ebola prevention efforts and an additional $112 million for regional response. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stressed that the US 'cannot and will not allow any Ebola case to enter its territory.' The facility is expected to have 50 beds, with isolation and biocontainment units, and about 30 staff from the US Public Health Service have been deployed to Kenya.
