Hundreds of Kenyans gathered in the streets of the town of Nanyuki on Monday to protest a proposed US Ebola quarantine facility at Laikipia Air Base.
Video shows groups of young protesters marching toward the entrance of the air base while chanting anti-Ebola slogans. Demonstrators also blocked roads and set tires on fire. According to the BBC, two people were shot dead during the unrest.
The demonstrations took place just days after Kenya’s High Court ordered a halt to the US-supported plan. The facility was intended to accommodate American citizens who may have been exposed to the virus, as part of an effort by the Trump administration to keep the disease out of the US.
Washington’s announcement in parallel of a new Ebola aid plan, made as the outbreak continues to spread in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo), prompted a legal challenge from the Katiba Institute. According to the US Department of State, the US wants to allocate $13.5 million to strengthen Kenya’s readiness to respond to a potential outbreak.
The petition argued that the proposed facility would pose a public health risk, particularly because Kenya has not recorded any Ebola infections. The court’s decision halted the plan.
On Sunday, Kenyan Health Minister Aden Duale said that the planned quarantine facility was intended to serve “everyone” and would not have been reserved solely for US citizens.
Meanwhile, healthcare experts in the US, including former officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), urged the US Congress on Monday to overturn the initiative. In a letter to lawmakers, the experts warned that the project presents “significant clinical, ethical, operational and legal challenges.” They said that establishing temporary quarantine and treatment facilities abroad while response efforts are already strained could set a “dangerous precedent.”
On Thursday, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) reported that a total of 1,077 suspected cases and 246 probable deaths had been recorded since May 15, when DR Congo declared its 17th Ebola outbreak. The epidemic has been attributed to the Bundibugyo strain of the virus, for which there are currently no approved vaccines or targeted treatments available.
Laikipia Air Base, located about eight kilometers from the central Kenyan town of Nanyuki, is one of the country’s main air force installations. Its territory is home to the headquarters of the British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK), the UK military’s long-standing training presence in East Africa. United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) and the BATUK operate in the same facility, and the air base is a key hub for international military cooperation alongside the Kenya Defence Forces.