Kenyan Court Temporarily Blocks U.S.-Linked Ebola Quarantine Facility

Kenya, May 29, 2026 - Kenya’s High Court has temporarily suspended plans for a controversial U.S.-linked Ebola quarantine facility, escalating a fast-growing diplomatic and public health debate that has triggered nationwide concern over sovereignty, transparency, and public safety.

In conservatory orders, the court barred the Kenyan government from receiving or admitting any individuals exposed to or infected with Ebola under the proposed arrangement until a legal challenge filed against the project is heard and determined.

High Court Judge Patricia Nyaundi issued the temporary suspension following a petition filed by the Katiba Institute, which argued that the agreement between Kenya and the United States potentially violated constitutional safeguards, including public participation, parliamentary oversight, and the right to health and life.

The court’s intervention comes barely a day after U.S. officials confirmed that Kenya had approved plans for the establishment of a 50-bed quarantine facility at Laikipia Air Base intended for American citizens exposed to the worsening Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The facility was expected to be staffed by members of the U.S. Public Health Service and would form part of a broader American strategy to prevent Ebola cases from reaching U.S. soil.

The controversy intensified after an official U.S. State Department readout released following a phone call between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and President William Ruto openly stated that “The United States’ highest priority remains protecting the health and security of the American people by working to prevent the Ebola outbreak from reaching our shores.”

The same statement confirmed that Washington intended to commit $13.5 million (about Sh1.7 billion) toward Kenya’s Ebola preparedness efforts.

That language quickly sparked backlash online, with many Kenyans questioning whether the arrangement was primarily about supporting Kenya’s health system or shielding the United States from potential Ebola exposure.

Public concern has grown particularly sharply around reports that exposed American citizens would be quarantined in Kenya instead of being flown back to the United States for monitoring and treatment.

“We cannot and will not allow any cases of Ebola to enter the United States,” Rubio said during a U.S. Cabinet meeting while discussing the outbreak response.

Critics within Kenya have described the proposed arrangement as politically insensitive and potentially risky for a country that has not declared any active Ebola outbreak within its borders.