Protests erupt in Kenya over US Ebola quarantine centre in Nanyuki

Kenyan police have fired tear gas to disperse protesters in the central town of Nanyuki, who have been opposing a quarantine centre for Americans exposed to Ebola that the United States government is racing to build despite Kenyan court orders barring further work.

The proposed 50-bed unit at an air force base has angered many Kenyans, who accuse the US of offloading the health risk of caring for those exposed to the Ebola outbreak in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda.

Last week, hundreds took to the streets in Nanyuki amid growing frustration among residents as Kenyan and US authorities publicly reaffirmed their commitment to the plan despite court orders. The demonstration turned violent, with at least two people killed and one wounded.

During the latest protest, police used tear gas to disperse small groups of protesters. One protester carried a white cross emblazoned with the phrase “Respect Ebola” in red.

The World Health Organization declared an international public health emergency on May 17 after officials detected the rare Bundibugyo strain, which they discovered had been circulating for weeks in the DRC and had spread to neighbouring Uganda.

Unlike the more common Zaire strain, there are no approved vaccines or treatments for the Bundibugyo strain.

There are fears that the outbreak could become one of the worst on record due to the delay in detection, as well as recent declines in health funding from the US and other Western donors. Last year, the US cut most foreign aid and effectively closed the US Agency for International Development (USAID) following the start of President Donald Trump’s second term.

The Trump administration ⁠has said it “cannot and will not allow” any cases to enter the US, unlike during the 2014-16 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, when several infected US nationals were treated on US soil.

The Nanyuki facility is designated for Americans who have been exposed to the virus but are still asymptomatic. Patients who develop symptoms would be sent for care to other countries, US officials have said.

US military planes have continued to ferry in staff and equipment even after court orders blocking the plan, according to US and diplomatic sources and flight tracking data, with several aircraft expected to land this week.

Satellite imagery seen by the Reuters news agency shows an increasing build-up of white tents in the middle of a plot of land about 0.046sq km (11 acres) in area, cleared within the Laikipia airbase since May 27.

The US has said it is aware of the court challenge and was “working with the Kenyan government to resolve any objections”.

Kenyan officials have said the facility would also serve Kenyans and foreign nationals in addition to American citizens, but US officials have not confirmed this.