Kenyan Court Blocks Proposed Ebola Quarantine Facility For US Citizens

(MENAFN- Nam News Network)

NAIROBI, May 29 (dpa) -- A court in Nairobi has temporarily blocked the establishment of an Ebola quarantine and treatment facility for US citizens in Kenya, the legal advocacy group that brought the case said on Friday.

Ruling on a petition filed by the Katiba Institute, the court issued an injunction barring authorities from constructing, operating, or approving any facility for the treatment, quarantine or management of Ebola patients under an arrangement with the United States or any other foreign government until the case is heard.

The ruling comes amid media reports this week that Washington plans to deny re-entry to US citizens exposed to Ebola, with those individuals instead potentially being quarantined at a facility yet to be established in Kenya.

While the Kenyan government has not officially confirmed plans for such a facility, the reports have sparked unease in Kenya.

Kenya is a sovereign nation, not a "containment colony for a lethal pathogen," said Davji Bhimji Atellah, secretary general of the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union, in a scathing statement.

In a statement this week that offered few details, Kenya's Health Ministry said "discussions" were ongoing with the US government and international partners on cooperation in tackling Ebola.

The head of the African Union's public health agency, Jean Kaseya, said on Thursday that the Kenyan government had not informed him of any final decision regarding such a quarantine facility.

Kaseya said he was concerned about the additional burden the arrangement could place on Kenya's health system. The court's order is provisional pending further hearings, with the Kenyan government required to respond to the petition by June 2.

NNN-dpa

MENAFN29052026000200011047ID1111183140