Hundreds Protest Planned U.S. Ebola Quarantine Facility in Kenya

Hundreds of residents took to the streets of Nanyuki town in central Kenya on Monday to protest plans by the United States to establish an Ebola quarantine facility at a military base in the area, according to residents and local media reports.

The demonstrations come just days after Kenya’s High Court temporarily suspended the project following a legal challenge arguing that the facility could pose a threat to public health.

The court issued the suspension order on Friday after a lawsuit was filed seeking to halt the construction and operation of the proposed quarantine centre.

According to senior U.S. officials, the planned 50-bed facility at an air force base in Laikipia County is intended to accommodate American citizens who may have been exposed to Ebola but are not showing symptoms. Kenya’s government has confirmed the plans, with Health Minister Aden Duale stating that the facility forms part of broader efforts to strengthen emergency response systems.

U.S. officials had expected the centre to become operational last Friday. However, reports indicate that military aircraft continued arriving and departing from Nanyuki over the weekend, leading diplomats and analysts to suggest that preparations were ongoing despite the court order.

A Reuters witness reported increased police and military presence on roads leading to the air base on Saturday.

Video footage obtained on Monday showed crowds gathered several kilometres from the proposed facility, with demonstrators blowing whistles and some riding on top of pickup trucks. Smoke was seen rising from burning objects placed on the road. While footage captured around 100 protesters, local residents estimated that several hundred people participated in the demonstrations.

Kenyan television stations NTV Kenya and Citizen TV also aired footage showing protesters gathered near the perimeter wall of the military base, where soldiers and an armoured vehicle were deployed.

Patrick Wahome, one of the protest organisers, said demonstrators wanted the facility permanently closed by June 9.

“Nanyuki is a very small town. The military personnel who serve the base live among us, and our children attend the same schools. If anyone becomes infected, the entire community is at risk,” Wahome said.

“We are picketing for our lives,” he added.

Local business owner Patrick Maina said the protests had already affected commerce in the town.

“We have not opened since morning, and the situation could become worse tomorrow,” he said.

Flight-tracking data from Flightradar24 showed that a U.S. military C-130 transport aircraft landed in Nanyuki as recently as Friday afternoon, further fuelling public concern over the project.