Kenyan Protesters Clash with Police Over Planned U.S. Ebola Quarantine Centre

Wed Jun 17 2026 08:31:35 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Kenyan protestors in Nanyuki flare a tear gas siege over a U.S.-backed 50‑bed Ebola isolation centre, raising concerns over transparency and cross‑border infection risks.

In Nanyuki, Kenya, demonstrators waving flags and carrying a coffin marked "Ebola" confronted police who fired tear gas to disperse them. The protesters oppose the U.S. plan to build a 50‑bed isolation facility staffed by American medics, citing lack of transparency and fears of disease spread. A Kenyan High Court has halted construction, yet work continues and officials claim they are optimistic about resolving objections. President William Ruto has defended the plan as a humanitarian necessity.

Kenyan Protesters Clash with Police Over Planned U.S. Ebola Quarantine Centre

Police in Kenya fired tear gas to break up a protest in the town of Nanyuki, where activists demanded the U.S. plan for a 50‑bed Ebola quarantine centre be cancelled.

Small groups of demonstrators, waving Kenyan flags, holding placards and an interred coffin labelled "Ebola", called for the project to be reversed. The U.S. intends to treat Americans affected by the current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo at the site, staffed by U.S. medics.

The plan has raised public concern in Kenya over cross‑border infection risks and a lack of transparency. A Kenyan High Court last month ordered a halt to the facility’s opening after a rights group alleged it posed "grave and imminent risks" to public health.

Despite the court ruling, construction at a nearby airbase has continued. A U.S. official said the U.S. government was aware of the legal challenge but remained "optimistic" that objections could be resolved.

President William Ruto defended the plan, stating that refusing the U.S. request would be "inhuman" and urging Kenyans not to politicise the serious matter of Ebola.

The protest underscores a clash between local public sentiment, international health cooperation, and governmental policy decisions in the wake of the ongoing Ebola outbreak with 608 confirmed cases and 102 deaths recorded in the Democratic Republic of Congo.