Kenya’s High Court on Monday (June 22) found Health Minister Aden Duale guilty of contempt for proceeding with construction of a quarantine facility for U.S. citizens infected with Ebola, defying earlier injunctions.
Justice Patricia Nyaundi Mande ruled that Duale had pushed ahead with work at the site in central Kenya despite several court orders from late May and early June demanding a stop. “The court cannot allow its orders to be rendered meaningless,” she wrote in the judgment.
The project aims to build an isolation unit at Laikipia Air Base near Nanyuki town to receive U.S. citizens at risk of infection from the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. Although Kenya has recorded no cases, the plan sparked protests from hundreds of residents last month.
Locals and health workers voiced anger over the risk of bringing the virus into the country, criticizing the Kenyan government for accepting a $13.5 million U.S. contribution for Ebola preparedness, which they argued was a cover for the deal. President William Ruto said he “agreed” to the project because “it is an agreement and partnership with friends who have stood with Kenya for 30, 40 years.”
Previously, the court had ordered construction halted after the advocacy group Katiba Institute filed a petition arguing the center was developed in secrecy without community consultation. The non-governmental organization also demanded disclosure of the agreement’s details, including medical and biosafety assessments, regulatory approvals, and operational procedures.
Despite the ruling, Duale insisted the project would continue, telling Parliament earlier this month that the government “will not stop.” He must appear in court on Tuesday (June 23) for mitigation and sentencing. The contempt charge carries a maximum fine of 200,000 shillings (about $1,500) and/or six months’ imprisonment.
The Ebola outbreak was confirmed in the Democratic Republic of Congo in May, with 896 cases and at least 232 deaths as of June 17, according to the World Health Organization. Neighboring Uganda has recorded 19 cases, including two deaths. At least 75 health workers in Congo have been infected, 17 of whom died. Kenyan doctors and health experts have been particularly critical of the Nanyuki project, warning it threatens the country’s fragile health system.
