NAIROBI, Kenya — Kenya’s High Court has temporarily blocked a U.S. plan to establish an Ebola quarantine facility for Americans exposed to the virus during the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, after activists argued the arrangement could endanger public health.
Justice Patricia Nyaundi issued the order late Thursday, barring the Kenyan government from admitting anyone exposed to or infected with Ebola under the proposed arrangement until a legal challenge filed by the Katiba Institute is heard. The next hearing is scheduled for June 2.
U.S. officials had said the unit would be set up at an air force base in central Kenya and become operational on Friday. The facility was intended to isolate Americans exposed to Ebola in the region, rather than immediately flying them back to the United States.
Katiba Institute, a Kenyan legal advocacy group, challenged the plan, saying the government had a constitutional duty to protect Kenyans from avoidable public-health risks. Its executive director, Nora Mbagathi, said Kenya’s constitution required authorities to act in the best interests of citizens, while the U.S. government did not owe Kenyans the same obligations.
The proposal had triggered public anger, with critics asking why exposed Americans should be brought to Kenya while the region is already on alert over the outbreak. Some residents described the plan as unfair and dangerous, warning that even a single failure in containment could expose local communities.
The legal challenge comes as the Ebola outbreak continues to expand. The World Health Organization said that as of May 27, DR Congo had reported 906 suspected cases and 223 suspected deaths. As of May 29, 134 confirmed cases had been recorded across DR Congo and Uganda, including nine confirmed infections in Uganda and one death there.
The outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there is no approved vaccine or specific treatment. It is concentrated in DR Congo’s Ituri province but has also spread to North Kivu and South Kivu. WHO has warned that the true scale may be larger because the virus likely circulated before detection.
Kenya has not reported an Ebola case, but its role as a regional transport and humanitarian hub has placed it at the centre of outbreak logistics. Aid supplies for DR Congo have been moving through Nairobi, while public concern has grown over whether Kenya should host exposed foreign nationals.
For now, the court order pauses the U.S. plan and shifts the issue into a broader debate over sovereignty, public health and the responsibilities of governments during cross-border disease emergencies.
