A Kenyan court has temporarily extended its suspension of a proposed U.S.-backed Ebola quarantine facility for three more weeks, following protests that left two people dead. The court also ordered the government to disclose all agreements and operational details with the United States regarding the site.
The 50-bed facility, planned on an air force base in Nanyuki, central Kenya, is intended to house Americans exposed to Ebola in neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo or Uganda. Many local residents have protested, arguing that the arrangement shifts health risks onto Kenyan soil.
U.S. military aircraft have continued to deliver personnel and equipment despite the legal suspension. Kenyan High Court Judge Patricia Nyaundi prohibited any construction or operations until the case is resolved and scheduled the next hearing for June 23.
President William Ruto defended the facility as part of Kenya’s broader health preparedness and partnership with the United States. U.S. officials clarified that the site would treat only U.S. citizens who have been exposed but are not yet showing symptoms, with symptomatic patients referred elsewhere for care.
The move follows the emergence of the rare Bundibugyo Ebola strain in eastern Congo, which has resulted in over 300 confirmed cases and nearly 50 deaths, and additional cases reported in Uganda. U.S. authorities have emphasized that the facility aims to contain potential outbreaks and provide clinical care while preventing the virus from entering the United States.