Chaos as Kenyans Protest Plans for Ebola Quarantine Centre
Hundreds of residents took to the streets in Kenya to protest plans for an Ebola quarantine facility that would house exposed US citizens. The demonstration reflects growing public concern over the possibility of the deadly virus entering a country that has recorded zero Ebola cases to date.
The protest took place on Monday, 1 June 2026, in the town of Nanyuki in central Kenya, just days after Kenya’s High Court ordered a temporary halt to the project.
Plans to build the quarantine facility at the Laikipia military base have sparked public anger. Many questioned why Kenya should accept people exposed to Ebola, whilst the outbreak is currently occurring elsewhere in Africa, particularly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.
The Ebola outbreak currently affecting both countries has reportedly killed more than 200 people.
Reuters footage shows approximately 100 protesters filling roads leading to Laikipia airbase. Some participants were seen blowing whistles, whilst others stood on the backs of slowly moving pickup trucks as part of the march. Smoke rose from objects burning in the street, whilst police and military personnel reportedly increased their presence at routes to the airbase.
US officials previously stated the facility would have a 50-bed capacity. The unit was intended to house US citizens who have been exposed to Ebola but have not yet shown symptoms of illness.
However, the plan faced legal opposition. A lawsuit stating that the facility could endanger public health due to Kenya’s fragile healthcare system and questioning the lack of transparency in the facility agreement was accepted by Kenya’s highest court last Friday.
The US Government stated it was prepared to allocate US$13.5 million to support Kenya’s Ebola preparedness. However, few details concerning the quarantine centre’s operations have been made public.
Kenya’s Health Minister, Aden Duale, defended the project on Saturday. He said the agreement was part of broader efforts to strengthen the country’s emergency response systems. He stated the quarantine centre was not intended specifically for US citizens.
“The quarantine centre is for everyone,” Duale said, according to Reuters.
The facility was originally scheduled to begin operations on Friday, according to US officials. Despite the court order halting the project, several military aircraft were observed entering and leaving Nanyuki over the weekend. Diplomats and experts view this activity as apparently part of ongoing preparations.
Patrick Wahome, one of the protest organisers, said demonstrators wanted the facility permanently closed by Tuesday, 9 June at the latest. He argued the transmission risk was too great for local residents.
“Nanyuki is a very small town. Military personnel stationed at the base live among us. Our children attend school in the same places and that means if someone becomes infected, then we all become infected,” Wahome told Reuters.
“We are protesting for our lives,” he added.
Similar concerns were shared by resident Malin Ndegwa, who argued Kenya should not bear the risk of an outbreak originating from another country by accepting foreign nationals exposed to the virus.
“Why don’t they do it in the DRC? Why don’t they do it in Uganda? Why do they have to bring it here?” she said.
Ndegwa stressed total rejection of the project.
“We are saying clearly, there is no negotiation, there is no public participation, we don’t want anything. We want the facility moved from our town, we want the facility moved from Kenya,” she told The Associated Press.