US optimistic Kenyan concerns over Ebola facility project will be resolved

The United States government has said it is aware of a Kenyan court ruling that temporarily suspended plans to establish an Ebola quarantine facility for Americans exposed to the disease.

The Under Secretary for Foreign Assistance, Humanitarian Affairs and Religious Freedom said Washington is engaging Kenyan authorities following widespread public objections to the proposal.

The State Department also expressed optimism that the matter would be resolved soon.

“We are aware of the court action filed in Kenya against the Ebola isolation facility. We are in touch with Kenyan authorities and are optimistic we can resolve objections,” the office said in a post on X.

The response came hours after the High Court in Kenya halted any implementation of an agreement related to the proposed Ebola facility reportedly at Laikipia Air Base pending the hearing of petitions challenging the project.

Judge Patricia Nyaundi said anyone who has been exposed to or infected by Ebola would not be allowed into the country.

Katiba Institute, and the Law Society had separately challenged the move urging the court to nullify any agreements signed between the U.S. and Kenya on the project, citing public health risks and a lack of public participation.

Kenyan doctors’ union on Thursday issued a 48-hour strike notice should the country proceed with the deal. It said the U.S. was clear that they would not allow Ebola on their soil and that Kenya should not become a “dumping ground.”

“As the vanguard of Kenya’s healthcare system, we are utterly disgusted by the government’s apparent willingness to trade national biosecurity and the lives of its citizens for foreign aid,” the union’s chairperson, Davji Atellah, said in a statement.

The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists’ Union (KMPDU) has also opposed the plans warning that Kenya risks being turned into what it termed a containment zone for foreign health emergencies.

“We will not sit back and watch Kenya be treated as a containment colony for a lethal pathogen that we did not generate,” the statement read.

It said that if the facility proceeds, it should be used as an opportunity to permanently employ Kenyan doctors under fair and fully funded terms, including proper hazard pay and medical cover.

The union issued a 48-hour ultimatum, demanding full disclosure of the negotiations and warning of possible nationwide industrial action if its concerns are not addressed.

The White House confirmed Wednesday that the U.S. had been planning on setting up the facility to receive Americans who are exposed to the Ebola virus in regions affected by the ongoing outbreak, which centered in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

According to an administration official, the U.S. planned to establish a “state-of-the-art facility” in Kenya through a coordinated effort with the Departments of State, Health and Human Services, and War.”

The Ministry of Health has maintained that Kenya remains well prepared to handle any potential Ebola threat.

According to the ministry, the country has activated its national Incident Management System, intensified screening at points of entry and strengthened surveillance and laboratory testing capacity.