Hundreds of people, mostly youths, in Nanyuki, central Kenya, staged a protest Monday against plans to establish an Ebola quarantine center for US citizens at risk of virus exposure at the nearby Laikipia Air Base.
The protest came two days after Kenya's High Court suspended the establishment of the facility and the admission of any foreign patients, pending a lawsuit filed by the Kenya Law Society and a constitutional watchdog group.
Both groups argued that Kenya's fragile healthcare system makes it unsuitable to host foreign Ebola patients for quarantine.
Earlier, unnamed US officials said Thursday that Washington planned to bring US citizens exposed to Ebola abroad to the new facility in Kenya instead of repatriating them. The facility at Laikipia Air Base was expected to begin operations with 50 isolation beds from Friday.
However, Kenya's Health Minister Aden Duale insisted Sunday that the quarantine center is for "all people," not just US citizens. He also cited an announcement by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Washington would provide $13.5 million in funding for Kenya's Ebola prevention efforts.
Local authorities, including Laikipia Governor Joshua Irungu, voiced strong opposition. "This will expose our people to Ebola," Irungu said, noting that many local laborers working at the base could be at risk of exposure.
Kenya has not recorded any Ebola cases, but neighboring Uganda has reported nine cases and closed its border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). According to official figures, at least 263 cases of the Bundibugyo strain—a rare strain with no approved vaccine or treatment—have been reported in the DRC.
