The Trump administration has declined to bring back American citizens who have been exposed to Ebola while the epidemic continues to spread in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. A proposal to transfer these individuals to Kenya has encountered obstacles, and the administration is still searching for alternative host nations.
Earlier this week, it emerged that the administration had planned to create a temporary quarantine and treatment center in Kenya, rather than returning citizens to purpose‑built facilities in the United States. The proposed site would be Laikipia, roughly 120 miles north of Nairobi, where the United States maintains an air base. The initial scheme envisioned a 50‑bed quarantine facility becoming operational on May 29, followed by additional isolation and biocontainment units for infected Americans.
However, after a series of developments on Thursday and Friday, the plan has been put on hold. The Katiba Institute, an organization that defends Kenyan constitutional rights, filed a petition on Thursday to contest the creation of the quarantine and treatment facility.
‘The secretive, unilateral creation of an Ebola quarantine facility raises serious constitutional concerns about the rights to life, health, fair administrative action, public participation, and parliamentary oversight,’ Katiba said in a statement posted on social media.
Katiba is requesting the government’s preparedness plan for preventing or responding to a potential Ebola outbreak, which is not currently present in Kenya. The institute also demands disclosure of any agreement between Kenya and the United States concerning the facility. ‘At its core, the case concerns preserving constitutional accountability, protecting public health, and ensuring that no government may prioritize expediency over the lives and safety of Kenya’s people,’ Katiba added.