'We won't turn them away' - Ruto defends US-backed Ebola facility as controversy grows in Kenya
Kenyan President William Ruto has defended plans for a U.S.-backed Ebola quarantine facility in Kenya, arguing that the project is necessary to protect public health despite mounting protests and legal challenges.
Speaking alongside South African President Cyril Ramaphosa during a state visit to Pretoria on Thursday, Ruto said the Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo posed a regional threat and required stronger preparedness measures.
“One of the facilities that has raised some controversy is the facility we agreed to set up in conjunction with the Americans at one of our military air bases,” Ruto said.
He noted that Kenya hosts a significant U.S. military presence and said the government had expanded its health response capabilities nationwide.
“We have also set up 23 other isolation facilities across the country with the support of partners, among them the Americans, as well as using our own resources,” he said, adding that Washington had contributed 1.8 billion Kenyan shillings toward Ebola-related health infrastructure.
Ruto said the United States had requested additional facilities that could be used if American citizens or military personnel in Kenya required quarantine or monitoring.
“Even if the Americans had not set up that facility at the military base, if there were any Americans in Kenya, we would take them to a Kenyan facility,” he said. “We would not turn them away because the Constitution of Kenya tells us that we are responsible for the health of all people in Kenya.”
The proposed 50-bed isolation centre at Laikipia Air Base near Nanyuki is intended to monitor Americans exposed to Ebola in the DRC or Uganda. U.S. officials have said the facility would be used for individuals not showing symptoms, while confirmed patients would be treated elsewhere.
The project has sparked public opposition, with people accusing the government of exposing Kenyans to unnecessary risks and turning the country into a quarantine hub for foreign nationals.
Kenya’s High Court has extended a suspension on the project and ordered the government to release agreements, protocols and risk assessments related to the facility. Protests in Nanyuki earlier this week left two people dead, although the circumstances surrounding the deaths remain unclear.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
