Kenyan Police Use Tear Gas at Nanyuki Ebola Center Protest

Kenyan police used tear gas on Tuesday to break up protests in Nanyuki, central Kenya, over plans to build a U.S.-funded Ebola quarantine and isolation center at a local airbase. Demonstrators carried placards and a coffin marked “Ebola” and called for the project to be scrapped. The protest followed earlier demonstrations last week in which two people died after police intervened.

The proposed facility is described as a 50-bed isolation center intended to treat U.S. citizens affected by the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The plan has prompted public concern in Nanyuki and the wider Laikipia county, with critics citing fears of cross-border infection risk and a lack of transparency from the Kenyan government about the project.

A rights group has challenged the project in court, arguing it poses “grave and imminent risks” to public health. The High Court ordered that the opening of the facility be halted, but satellite imagery indicates construction has continued at the airbase despite the ruling.

Why Nanyuki was selected

U.S. officials said Kenya was chosen because of its proximity to the outbreak area and because airports in the region have limited capability, which they said affects how quickly Americans can be treated. Nanyuki is about 780 km (485 miles) from Bunia, described as the epicenter of the DRC outbreak, with Uganda between the two countries.

According to officials, the DRC has recorded 608 confirmed Ebola cases and 102 deaths. Kenya has reported no Ebola cases.

Government response and next steps

President William Ruto defended the plan, saying he received a request from the United States to establish the center and that refusing would be “inhuman.” He urged Kenyans not to politicize Ebola and asked politicians to avoid what he described as reckless talk.

What happens next may depend on the court case and whether authorities enforce the High Court’s halt order while construction activity continues.