Kenya court suspends US plan for Ebola quarantine facility for Americans
Rights groups and doctors said the plan lacked public participation and could expose Kenya to grave biosafety risks.
- Kenya's High Court temporarily blocked a Trump administration plan to establish a military-backed Ebola quarantine facility for American citizens, issuing an urgent injunction just as the site was scheduled to begin operations.
- The proposed 50-bed makeshift field hospital was built at the Laikipia Air Base and intended to be managed by U.S. military and Public Health Service staff to isolate Americans exposed to a dangerous outbreak of the Bundibugyo Ebola virus in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo.
- Justice Patricia Nyaundi barred the Kenyan government from operationalizing the facility and blocked the entry of any infected or exposed individuals, enforcing a freeze until full legal petitions can be formally heard on June 2.
- The legal challenges were filed independently by the Katiba Institute and the Law Society of Kenya, which accused the government of cutting a deal in absolute secrecy without public participation, parliamentary oversight, or proper biosecurity safeguards.
- The plan ignited a fierce domestic backlash, including a 48-hour strike notice from the Kenyan doctors' union, whose leaders publicly condemned the deal and stated that the country should not be used as a foreign "dumping ground" for a lethal pathogen that the U.S. refused to bring to its own soil.
101 Articles
101 Articles
Kenyan court orders suspension of US Ebola quarantine facility
A court in Kenya on Friday blocked the government from permitting the U.S. to establish a quarantine facility for Americans exposed to Ebola virus, which is spreading in northeastern Congo. The decision comes amid growing public backlash in the country to an announced U.S. plan, with critics accusing the Kenyan government of trading the country’s…
Court halts plan for US Ebola quarantine facility in Kenya
NAIROBI —A Kenyan high court has suspended plans for the United States to set up an Ebola quarantine facility for Americans in the country that has sparked public concern about cross-border infection risks. The 50-bed isolation center is to be staffed by US medics and was due to begin operations on Friday, according to an American official. High Court Judge Patricia Nyaundi said in her orders late on Thursday that Kenya was also not allowed to …
Kenya court suspends opening of US Ebola quarantine centre
A Kenyan court on Friday temporarily halted the opening of an Ebola quarantine centre for US nationals following a petition filed by a rights group. The facility was due to open on Friday in Kenya according to US officials, to quarantine Americans arriving from the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is battling a major Ebola outbreak.
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 57% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
