Kenyan high court suspends plan for US Ebola quarantine facility in Kenya

Kenya’s High Court has temporarily halted plans for a U.S.-backed Ebola quarantine facility, citing constitutional and public health concerns raised by rights groups. The court also barred the admission of Ebola-exposed or infected individuals under the proposed deal pending further hearings.

Humphrey Malalo/Reuters

29 May 2026 at 06:53:00

Kenyan high court suspends plan for US Ebola quarantine facility in Kenya

FILE PHOTO: A transmission electron micrograph shows Ebola virus particles in this undated handout image released by the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) in Fredrick, Maryland.

USAMRIID/Reuters

A Kenyan high court has ordered the temporary suspension of plans for the United States to set up an Ebola quarantine facility in the country.

High Court Judge Patricia Nyaundi said in her orders late on Thursday that Kenya was also not allowed to admit anyone exposed to or infected by Ebola under the planned agreement with the United States, until a case challenging the deal was heard and determined.

On Thursday, the White House said the U.S. was setting up a facility in Kenya to quarantine U.S. citizens who had been exposed to Ebola, and would not bring them home if they develop symptoms, but instead send them to a third country.

Kenya rights group Katiba Institute went to court on Thursday to challenge the plan.

"The secretive, unilateral establishment of an Ebola quarantine facility raises grave constitutional concerns regarding the rights to life, health, fair administrative action, public participation, and parliamentary oversight," the rights group said.

The next hearing for the case will be on June 2, Nyaundi said in her order.

-Humphrey Malalo/Reuters