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By Spy Uganda
A Kenyan High Court has suspended plans by the United States to establish an Ebola quarantine and treatment facility for American citizens in Kenya, following growing public concern and legal challenges over potential health and sovereignty risks.
The proposed 50-bed isolation centre, whose exact location has not been publicly disclosed, was expected to begin operations on Friday and would reportedly be staffed by American medical personnel. However, the plan has now been halted pending the hearing of a court case filed by rights organization Katiba Institute.
In its petition, the institute warned that the arrangement posed “grave and imminent risks” to public health and accused authorities of proceeding without adequate transparency or public safeguards.
Justice Patricia Nyaundi issued interim orders restraining any government agency or official from “establishing, operationalising, facilitating, approving or permitting” any Ebola-related quarantine, isolation, or treatment facility linked to the United States or any foreign government within Kenya.
The court also barred Kenyan authorities from admitting into the country any individuals exposed to or infected with Ebola under the proposed arrangement until the matter is fully heard and determined.
The planned facility was intended to handle American citizens believed to have been exposed to the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, according to US officials.
The current Ebola outbreak, centered in eastern DR Congo, has reportedly caused at least 220 deaths and more than 900 infections, according to Congolese authorities. Uganda has also confirmed seven cases and one death linked to the outbreak.
Speaking about the operation, a US official said the first medical response team had already been deployed and had undergone extensive training in the use of personal protective equipment and quarantine procedures.
“We’re going to be ready to take care of our citizens as needed,” the official said, adding that Kenya had been selected because of its proximity to the outbreak zone and its strategic regional position.
The proposal, however, has triggered widespread backlash in Kenya, with critics questioning why the country should host quarantine facilities for foreign nationals despite not being at the epicentre of the outbreak.
Public anxiety intensified online after reports emerged suggesting Ebola-exposed Americans could be transferred to Kenya for observation or treatment.
Kenya’s largest doctors’ union, the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU), accused the government of conducting “backdoor negotiations” and demanded the immediate release of any bilateral agreements related to the plan.
The union strongly criticized what it described as attempts to compromise Kenya’s national biosecurity in exchange for foreign assistance.
“If it is too dangerous for America, it is too dangerous for Kenya,” the union stated.
KMPDU Secretary General Davji Bhimji Atellah said the union would not allow Kenya to be treated as “a containment colony for a lethal pathogen that we did not generate.”
The union also objected to reports indicating the facility could be operated primarily by American personnel instead of Kenyan healthcare workers.
“We will not tolerate an apartheid healthcare model on Kenyan soil,” the union warned, giving the government a 48-hour ultimatum to disclose details of the reported arrangement or risk nationwide industrial action.
“Kenya is a sovereign republic, not a geopolitical isolation ward,” the statement added.
As pressure mounted, Kenyan President William Ruto addressed foreign diplomats in Nairobi on Thursday, emphasizing the importance of international cooperation in responding to public health emergencies.
“We agreed on the importance of cooperation and avoiding isolationism, recognising that public health threats do not respect borders and require coordinated regional and global action,” Ruto said.
“Kenya will continue to act transparently, responsibly, and decisively to protect lives while contributing to regional and global health security,” he added.
However, the president did not directly address the reported US quarantine facility plans.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a phone conversation with President Ruto and announced that Washington would provide an additional $13.5 million to support Kenya’s Ebola preparedness efforts.
The funding forms part of a broader $112 million US regional response package aimed at supporting Ebola containment efforts across East and Central Africa.
, https://www.spyuganda.com/kenya-is-not-a-quarantine-colony-court-trashes-us-ebola-facility-plan/
