Kenyan police fired tear gas early Tuesday to break up protests against a planned Ebola quarantine center for US citizens in the central city of Nanyuki.
Small groups of protesters gathered near the site of a proposed 50-bed facility at Laikipia Air Base. Some of them wore protective medical uniforms, waved Kenyan flags and carried a coffin with “Ebola” written on it. AFP news agency reported that many people have been arrested.
The site, which is about 200 kilometers (124 miles) from the capital, Nairobi, is to be managed by US staff and host Americans exposed to Ebola in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
Why was the plan opposed?
There are no recorded cases of Ebola in Kenya, and plans for the facility have angered many locals who say it could bring the virus into the country.
US officials say only those who do not have any symptoms will remain in isolation centers, while those who do have symptoms will be sent to other countries for care.
Protests had also taken place at this controversial site earlier this month. Rights groups reported that two people died in those demonstrations.
Kenya’s High Court has temporarily halted construction at the site, but President William Ruto’s government has vowed to press ahead with the centre.
What did Ruto say about the centre?
“The American people and government have been partners with us on health matters for about 25-30 years,” Ruto said last week.
He said, “It would be most unfortunate if upon a request by the Americans to set up a facility at their own cost, we would refuse. We would look very inhumane.”
US military aircraft have continued to deliver personnel and equipment to the site despite the court order, according to US diplomatic sources and flight-tracking data cited by the Reuters news agency.
The US has said it is aware of the court challenge and is “working with the Kenyan government to resolve any objections.”
The US government has also said that it “cannot and will not allow” any cases to enter the United States.
Kenya’s health minister has said that the facility in Nanyuki will be used for Kenyans as well as Americans. But American officials have not confirmed this.
In late May, Washington pledged $13.5 million (€11.7 million) to Kenya’s Ebola preparedness efforts.
More than 500 cases in Congo, the epicenter of the virus
The World Health Organization declared an international health emergency over the Ebola virus disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda on 17 May.
Authorities have confirmed more than 550 cases and at least 100 deaths since the outbreak was first declared nearly a month ago.
However, experts warned that the number of infections was likely much higher because the virus is believed to have been circulating for several weeks before the first cases were confirmed.
The latest Ebola outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, which has no approved vaccine or treatment.
Edited by Shawn Sinico
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