Kenyan Court Suspends U.S.-Backed Ebola Quarantine Facility Plan

A Kenyan High Court has temporarily halted plans by the United States to establish an Ebola quarantine facility in Kenya.

In orders issued late Thursday, High Court Judge Patricia Nyaundi ruled that Kenya must also stop admitting any individuals exposed to or infected with Ebola under the proposed agreement with the U.S. until a legal challenge against the plan is fully heard and determined.

Earlier on Thursday, the White House announced that the U.S. was preparing to set up a quarantine center in Kenya for American citizens who may have been exposed to Ebola.

According to the plan, infected individuals would not be flown back to the United States if they developed symptoms, but instead transferred to another country for treatment and isolation.

However, Kenyan rights organization Katiba Institute moved to court to oppose the arrangement, arguing that the process lacked transparency and proper public involvement.

“The secretive and unilateral establishment of an Ebola quarantine facility raises serious constitutional concerns involving the rights to life, health, fair administrative action, public participation, and parliamentary oversight,” the group stated in court documents.

Judge Nyaundi scheduled the next hearing of the case for June 2 as the legal battle over the controversial facility continues.