Kenyan Court Halts US Ebola Facility, Orders Government Transparency

(MENAFN) A Kenyan court on Tuesday threw up a fresh legal barrier against a controversial US-backed Ebola quarantine facility at Laikipia Air Base, extending its suspension by three weeks and compelling the government to publicly disclose the agreement underpinning the project — one that has already claimed two lives amid violent protests.

Justice Patricia Nyaundi issued the directives after determining that constitutional questions raised in a petition challenging the facility warranted deeper judicial scrutiny before any work could resume.

The judge ordered the government to release the agreement and all associated documents tied to the Ebola facility ahead of the next scheduled court hearing.

The court simultaneously renewed its orders freezing both the establishment and operation of the facility, along with a ban on admitting individuals exposed to Ebola, pending the outcome of further proceedings.

The legal challenge was brought by Katiba Institute, a Kenyan constitutional and governance watchdog, which contends that the project is riddled with legal, public health, and constitutional red flags — and must not advance without greater transparency and meaningful public participation.

The ruling landed just one day after hundreds of residents and youths stormed the perimeter of the facility in Nanyuki, roughly 200 kilometers — or 124 miles — north of the capital Nairobi, in a demonstration that turned deadly.

Washington has pushed back against the legal pressure. The Office of Jeremy P. Lewin, the US under secretary for foreign assistance, humanitarian affairs and religious freedom, said the US was aware of the court proceedings and remained confident that concerns could be addressed through direct engagement with Kenyan authorities.

Kenya has recorded no Ebola cases to date, yet health officials have ramped up surveillance and screening protocols at airports, border crossings, and medical facilities as regional outbreak concerns intensify.

In a significant political development, President Ruto publicly confirmed for the first time that President Trump had personally requested the facility — a disclosure that has thrust the dispute into the heart of Kenya-US relations while igniting a rapidly escalating domestic political controversy.

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