Kenya defies court order on US-funded Ebola quarantine unit

Kenya pushed ahead with a U.S.-funded 50-bed Ebola quarantine unit at Laikipia Air Base even after a High Court judge suspended the project, turning the site in Nanyuki into a flashpoint over public health, sovereignty and local safety. The facility was meant for Americans exposed to Ebola who were still asymptomatic, with anyone who developed symptoms to be sent for care in other countries outside the United States.

The government had given written approval for the plan on May 28, 2026. One day later, Justice Patricia Nyaundi issued conservatory orders suspending any move to establish or operationalize the unit while a petition filed by Katiba Institute was heard. The court later ordered the government to disclose the agreement and operational protocols, and set the next hearing for June 2, 2026. The U.S. State Department said it would commit $13.5 million toward Kenya’s Ebola preparedness efforts.

Katiba Institute said the arrangement raised grave constitutional concerns over the rights to life, health, fair administrative action, public participation, parliamentary oversight and national sovereignty. In its filing, the group sought to stop the facility from opening, block entry of exposed persons, force full disclosure of the agreement and assessments, and require the health ministry to produce a contingency plan.

The dispute spilled into the streets as residents and local leaders in Nanyuki and nearby areas protested the project, saying the region should not become a "dumping site." Demonstrators warned that the quarantine center could expose the community to Ebola and damage the tourism economy around Mount Kenya and a nearby rhinoceros conservancy. The unrest turned violent on June 1 and June 2, with at least two people killed, police deploying tear gas and water cannon, and at least 10 protesters detained on June 9.

President William Ruto defended the plan on June 2, saying it was part of Kenya’s wider national preparedness strategy and a long-running health partnership with Washington. He said Kenya had already prepared isolation, surveillance and treatment facilities in 23 counties, and argued the Laikipia Air Base unit would also serve Kenyans and foreign partners if needed. He added that the project followed a request from Donald Trump. The U.S. embassy said it was working with the Kenyan government to resolve the objections.

Despite the court order, around 20 flights carrying medical equipment and specialist staff landed at the base, including C-130 and C-17 military transport aircraft, while no patients were brought in. The episode unfolded as the World Health Organization tracked the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, with more than 1,000 suspected and confirmed cases and 246 deaths since mid-May 2026.