Two people were reportedly killed when Kenyan police opened fire on protesters opposing a US backed Ebola quarantine centre in Nanyuki on Monday, a protest organiser said.
Protest organiser Patrick Wahome told Reuters that both victims died of gunshot wounds after security forces fired on hundreds of demonstrators near Laikipia Air Base. A security source also reported two deaths but did not give a cause, while police said they were not aware of any fatalities.
The crowd opposed a planned 50 bed unit meant to isolate Americans exposed to Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo or Uganda while they remain symptom free, with those who fall ill moved elsewhere for treatment. Protesters argue Kenya should not shoulder the health risk of caring for US citizens, and accuse officials of acting without public consultation.
The unrest has pushed the dispute deeper into the courts. On Tuesday, High Court Judge Patricia Nyaundi barred the government from building or operating the facility until the case is resolved, ordered it to disclose its agreements with Washington within seven days, and set the next hearing for June 23. A court had already suspended the plan last week after a legal advocacy group sued.
President William Ruto defended the project, saying he approved it at the request of US President Donald Trump and citing decades of health cooperation. He said the centre was no different from other facilities across Kenya and would also serve Kenyans and other nationals, though US officials have not confirmed that. “We are a responsible government,” Ruto said.
The facility would be staffed by the US Public Health Service, part of the Department of Health and Human Services. Even so, some US health experts have warned the plan raises serious clinical, ethical, and legal concerns.
The standoff unfolds against a worsening outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which has spread from eastern Congo into Uganda. The World Health Organization, which has declared a global health emergency, reported more than 200 suspected deaths and 900 suspected cases last week.
