Kenya Halts Construction of US-Managed Ebola Quarantine Center Following Judicial Intervention

The Kenyan government has suspended the development of a US-funded Ebola facility following widespread public backlash and a court order.

Published On 23 Jun 202623 Jun 2026

Kenya has suspended all preparations for a United States-managed Ebola quarantine facility. The announcement was made by the Health Minister during a court appearance after he was held in contempt for failing to comply with a previous stop-work order.

The decision follows intense domestic opposition. Deadly protests erupted after the government revealed plans to establish the site to house US citizens evacuated from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo), which is currently battling a severe Ebola epidemic.

The facility, located at the Laikipia airbase approximately 200 kilometers from Nairobi, was designed with 50 isolation beds and was slated to be operated by American medical personnel.

“I have directed the immediate and complete cessation of any intended construction, site preparation, or related activities concerning the Laikipia airbase facility pending the hearing and determination of the substantive petition or until further orders of this court,” stated Health Minister Aden Duale.

The minister’s statement comes just one day after the court cited him for contempt for ignoring multiple directives issued in late May and early June to freeze activities at the site.

Human rights organizations filed the petition, alleging that the facility was being developed in secret and without public consultation. Kenyan medical professionals have been particularly vocal, warning that the Nanyuki site could jeopardize the nation’s already strained healthcare infrastructure. Violence surrounding the protests in Laikipia has resulted in three deaths.

Critics, including healthcare workers and local citizens, expressed fear regarding the risk of importing the virus into a country that has yet to record a single case of Ebola. There are also allegations that a $13.5 million preparedness grant from the US was used to mask the true nature of the agreement.

The current Ebola outbreak in the DR Congo was confirmed in May. As of June 22, the Health Ministry reports 1,048 confirmed cases and at least 267 deaths. The crisis has heavily impacted medical staff, with 75 healthcare workers contracting the virus and 17 dying.

Neighboring Uganda has also reported 20 confirmed cases, resulting in two deaths.

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