Kenya: Air Base Cordoned Off As Hundreds Protest Planned Ebola Facility

Nairobi — Hundreds of residents in Nanyuki staged a protest on Monday against the proposed establishment of an Ebola quarantine and isolation facility at Laikipia Airbase, amid growing national debate over Kenya's preparedness and role in managing cross-border infectious disease cases.

The demonstrators initially marched toward the perimeter of Laikipia Airbase but were blocked by heavily armed Kenya Air Force personnel, who denied them access to the military installation.

Security forces established a cordon around the facility, forcing the crowd to retreat and redirect their procession toward Nanyuki town.

According to a security advisory, the demonstration later moved into the Nanyuki Central Business District, where police escorted protesters along designated routes.

Despite heightened tensions earlier in the day, no major incidents of violence were reported, with security agencies maintaining what officials described as controlled containment of the procession.

The protests come amid intensified public debate following reports that Kenya could host an Ebola isolation or treatment facility under a proposed international arrangement involving the United States.

The Law Society of Kenya, led by Charles Kanjama, has opposed the proposal, arguing that Ebola treatment centres should be located closer to outbreak epicentres rather than in countries without active cases.

Kanjama warned that hosting Ebola-exposed individuals in Kenya could expose the country to unnecessary public health risks and urged authorities to prioritize containment efforts nearer affected regions such as Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.

"We owe patients human solidarity, but public health requires facilities to be placed near outbreak epicentres," he said, while calling for stronger border protection measures against the importation of infectious diseases.

Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has maintained that any international arrangement involving Ebola exposure or treatment must strictly comply with Kenyan law and public health protocols.

Duale emphasized that Kenya's sovereignty, immigration procedures, and health safeguards cannot be bypassed under any agreement, noting that screening, quarantine, and surveillance systems remain operational at points of entry.

Public Health Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni also defended ongoing discussions with international partners, saying isolation facilities are a standard component of epidemic preparedness.

Muthoni said Kenya's laboratories are capable of rapid testing and that the country has mapped high-risk zones