Kenyan court halts US-backed Ebola quarantine facility plan

Kenya's High Court has temporarily suspended the establishment of a United States-backed Ebola quarantine and treatment facility in Laikipia county at the Laikipia Air Base, following a legal challenge over public health and constitutional concerns.

In a court order released on Friday, Justice Patricia Nyaundi issued conservatory orders barring the government from facilitating, approving, or operationalizing any Ebola exposure, quarantine, isolation, or treatment center linked to the United States or any foreign agency until the case is heard and determined.

"Upon reading the Notice of Motion dated May 28, 2026, a conservatory order is hereby issued restraining the respondents from establishing, operationalizing, facilitating, approving establishment of any Ebola exposure, quarantine, isolation, or treatment facility in Kenya," the court said.

The court also prohibited authorities from admitting into Kenya, transferring, receiving, or facilitating the entry of persons exposed to or infected with Ebola under the proposed arrangement.

The ruling came after the Katiba Institute, a Kenyan constitutional advocacy organization, filed an urgent petition on Thursday, seeking to stop the project.

The Katiba Institute argued in its petition that the planned facility raises serious constitutional, public health, and safety concerns, and should be halted pending judicial review.

They asked the court to stop both the establishment of the center and the transfer of Ebola-exposed or infected individuals into the country under any foreign agreement.

The lobbying group argued that the reported agreement between the two nations was reached without adequate public participation, parliamentary oversight, or disclosure of the legal framework governing the transfer and treatment of potentially infected persons, adding that the arrangement raises constitutional, sovereignty, public health, and national security concerns.

Justice Nyaundi certified the matter as urgent and directed the respondents to file their responses within 48 hours of being served with the petition and scheduled the matter for further hearing on June 2.

The conservatory orders suspending the proposed facility and barring the admission of Ebola-exposed or infected persons into Kenya will remain in force pending the court's determination of the case.

The court's intervention came only hours after the Kenyan government had approved plans for the facility in Laikipia county as part of efforts to strengthen Kenya's preparedness against potential Ebola outbreaks, according to media reports.

Under the arrangement, the US had committed about $14 million to support Kenya's Ebola preparedness measures. According to US officials, the facility was expected to become operational this week, initially with a 50-bed field hospital, and the capacity to expand to 250 beds if necessary.

Amid growing public scrutiny over the project, Kenyan President William Ruto on Thursday directed the formation of a National Response Committee to coordinate Kenya's preparedness and response to the Ebola outbreak reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.

The committee, to be led by Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, will oversee the country's response strategy and coordinate a whole-of-government approach aimed at strengthening public awareness, preparedness, and the mobilization of technical and financial resources.

The case is expected to become a key test of how Kenya balances international health cooperation, national sovereignty, and public safety amid growing regional concerns over the Ebola outbreak.