Two shot dead in Kenya as court blocks US Ebola quarantine centre and demands disclosure of deal terms

Fatal protest in Nanyuki

Hundreds of demonstrators marched through Nanyuki in central Kenya on Monday, blocking roads and burning tyres near the Laikipia Air Base where the US plans to house a 50-bed Ebola quarantine unit. Protest organiser Patrick Wahome told Reuters that two people died of gunshot wounds after police opened fire. A security source confirmed the deaths without specifying the cause. Police spokesperson Michael Muchiri said he was not aware of any fatalities. The BBC reported that one victim was shot near the airbase and died after friends brought him to the town hospital; the other was already dead when soldiers delivered him to the same facility.

Nanyuki is a very small town. The military personnel who serve at the base live with us. Our children go to the same school, so if someone gets infected, we all get infected. We are demonstrating for our lives.

Court extends suspension and demands transparency

On Tuesday, High Court Judge Patricia Nyaundi extended conservatory orders halting the establishment of any Ebola quarantine, isolation or treatment facility in Kenya and barred the admission of individuals exposed to the virus. The court also ordered the cabinet secretary for health to make public the full terms of the agreement, health and biosafety assessments, regulatory approvals and operational protocols. The main petitioner, the Katiba Institute, argued the deal between the US and Kenya lacks transparency and poses grave risks to public health. The Law Society of Kenya and the main doctors' union also opposed the plan at the hearing.

The main petitioner, the Katiba Institute, who has taken this matter to court is blocking the facility, saying that the deal between the US and Kenya is not transparent at all.

Flights continue despite court order

Despite the court's initial suspension last Friday, US military aircraft have continued flying in staff and equipment in recent days, according to a US official and diplomatic sources cited by Reuters. RFI reported that two US military planes carrying medical personnel landed at Laikipia over the weekend. The 50-bed unit was originally scheduled to become operational on Friday, before the court intervened.

Ruto defends the plan

President William Ruto addressed the controversy for the first time late on Monday, describing the facility as part of a wider national preparedness strategy and a long-running health partnership with Washington. He said he approved the project at the request of President Donald Trump, calling it a mutual agreement with allies who have supported Kenya for decades. Ruto insisted similar facilities already exist across the country and that the new centre could also serve Kenyan citizens if needed. He urged politicians to avoid reckless talk about a matter as serious as Ebola.

When President Trump asked Kenya to support them by having a centre in Laikipia Airbase I gave the ok because it was an agreement with friends who have walked with Kenya for 30, 40 years.

Regional outbreak context

The outbreak involves the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, centred in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo with spillover cases in neighbouring Uganda. Reuters reported more than 900 suspected cases and over 220 suspected deaths. Al Jazeera cited a WHO declaration of a public health emergency of international concern and noted 48 confirmed deaths. Kenya has not recorded any Ebola cases, though authorities have tightened screening at airports and land borders, checking approximately 3,000 travellers daily. The US has pledged $13 million for the health partnership, according to NOS.