Ebola alert: State House guests screened before Ruto event

Health Director General Patrick Amoth dispenses hand sanitiser to a beneficiary at State House grounds on October 8, 2026/PCSThere was heightened health vigilance at State House, Nairobi, on Thursday, with guests subjected to screening and temperature checks as President William Ruto presided over the National Industrial Training Authority (NITA) graduation ceremony.

Nairobi City County health officials were deployed at the State House Grounds to screen people attending the event, with Ministry of Health Director General Patrick Amoth present to oversee the process.

The heightened health precautions come a day after Amoth urged Kenyans to avoid large gatherings, handshakes and hugs as the country responds to its first confirmed imported Ebola case.

Amoth said large gatherings could provide opportunities for contact and spread of the virus, urging Kenyans to adopt alternative forms of greeting such as waving.

“We are still in the response phase, and we really discourage large gatherings because they are a potential source of contact and therefore spread of the disease,” Amoth said Wednesday.

He added: “I want to appeal to Kenyans going forward: we can avoid handshakes and hugging.”

The screening at State House therefore comes against the backdrop of intensified public health measures following confirmation of Kenya’s first imported Ebola case.

The patient, a Kenyan citizen who had lived in the DR Congo for seven years, died while receiving treatment at Nairobi Hospital. Health authorities have since stepped up contact tracing and surveillance.

Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale said 28 contacts had been identified, including family members and healthcare workers who attended to the deceased.

Authorities are also tracing 23 passengers and four crew members who were on the same flight as the patient.

Against this backdrop, health officials at State House screened people attending the NITA event before they proceeded to the graduation grounds.

During the ceremony, Ruto issued certificates to 3,750 beneficiaries of the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) programme.A medic screens a beneficiary at State House grounds on October 8, 2026/PCS

The event was centred on the RPL programme, which seeks to formally recognise skills acquired by workers through experience, workplace learning and other forms of non-formal training.The programme is aimed at helping skilled workers obtain nationally recognised certification without necessarily having to return to school for conventional training.The government has been promoting RPL as part of efforts to formalise skills among artisans and other workers in the informal sector, potentially improving their access to employment, contracts and business opportunities.NITA says RPL assesses workers’ existing competencies against occupational standards, with those who demonstrate the required competence receiving formal certification.The 3,750 beneficiaries being certified represent workers whose practical skills have been assessed and recognised through the programme.Amoth has said people who develop symptoms should seek medical attention and report to a health facility, while maintaining infection prevention measures such as regular handwashing and use of hand rubs.Health Director General Patrick Amoth (centre) dispenses hand sanitiser to a beneficiary at State House grounds on October 8, 2026/PCSA medic dispenses hand sanitiser to a beneficiary at State House grounds on October 8, 2026/PCSA beneficiary gets screened as Health Director General Patrick Amoth looks at State House grounds on October 8, 2026/PCSA medic screens a beneficiary at State House grounds on October 8, 2026/PCSRelated ArticlesWHO: Screening, contact tracing better than Ebola travel bansThe warning comes after Kenya reported an Ebola case involving a citizen who fell ill in the DRC.

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The reports claimed the man had travelled from DRC and was receiving treatment in Wajir