Kenyan police crack down on protest against U.S. Ebola quarantine facility
Kenyan police fired tear gas on Tuesday (June 9, 2026) and detained protesters demonstrating against a quarantine centre for Americans exposed to Ebola that the
Kenyan police fired tear gas on Tuesday (June 9, 2026) and detained protesters demonstrating against a quarantine centre for Americans exposed to Ebola that the U.S. has raced to build despite Kenyan â court orders barring further work. The proposed 50-bed unit on an air force base has angered many Kenyans, who accuse the U.S. of offloading the risk of caring for those exposed to the Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. Two people were killed in protests last week in the central town of Nanyuki, where frustration has grown as Kenyan and U.S. authorities publicly reaffirm their commitment to the plan. Police fired tear gas to disperse small groups of protesters who had gathered again in the town, which â is next to the air force base, early on Tuesday (June 9, 2026). One protester carried a white cross â emblazoned with the phrase âRespect Ebolaâ in red.
A Reuters witness also saw officers round up six demonstrators and load them into police vehicles. âWe are not happy with the idea of establishing this Ebola facility here,â protester Bethwel Onyango, 24, told Reuters. âWhy would a government set up a facility to control a disease we donât have when they canât deal with the ones ailing us?â U.S. President Donald Trumpâs administration has said it âcannot and will not allowâ any cases to enter the U.S., unlike during the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa when several infected U.S. nationals were treated on U.S. soil. Several U.S. citizens have been exposed to Ebola in eastern Congo and Uganda, where there have been more than 500 confirmed cases and 100 confirmed deaths from the outbreak declared last month. Six, including one who tested positive for the disease, were moved to a medical facility in â Germany last month, while another was taken to the Czech Republic.
The Nanyuki facility is designated for Americans who have been exposed to the virus but are still asymptomatic. Patients with symptoms would be sent to other countries, U.S. officials have said. Kenya says it is doing âthe right thingâ A High Court judge has twice issued orders barring Kenyaâs government from taking steps to build or begin operations at the site. Her latest order gave the government one week to disclose all agreements and operational protocols related to the facility. Joshua Malidzo, a lawyer challenging the quarantine plan on behalf of the Katiba Institute legal advocacy group, said the courtâs deadline expired on Monday (June 9, 2026) without the government complying. The Kenyan Government has not commented on the courtâs order, and a government spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. President William Ruto said last week that his administration was doing âthe right thingâ by establishing the facility.
The BriefWire