Hundreds protest outside Kenya’s Ebola quarantine centre

Hundreds of youths in Kenya’s central town of Nanyuki demonstrated on Monday against the establishment of an Ebola quarantine centre for American citizens at the Laikipia Air Base.

The protest came two days after Kenya’s High Court suspended the facility and the arrival of any foreign patients pending a hearing on a case filed by the Law Society of Kenya and the Katiba Institute, a constitutional watchdog.

The two organisations cited Kenya’s fragile health system as the reason why foreign Ebola patients should not be quarantined in the country.

Health Minister Aden Duale said on Sunday that the quarantine centre was for everyone, not exclusively for US nationals.

The US government said on May 30 it was engaging Kenyan authorities and remained confident that concerns could be resolved. “We are aware of the court action filed in Kenya against the Ebola isolation facility. We are in touch with Kenyan authorities and are optimistic we can resolve objections,” said a statement from the Office of Jeremy P. Lewin, US undersecretary for foreign assistance.

The US plans to commit $13.5 million toward Kenya’s Ebola preparedness efforts, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said. US officials said on Thursday that the United States was planning to send Americans exposed to Ebola while abroad to the new facility in Kenya instead of flying them home. The facility at Laikipia Air Base would have 50 quarantine beds.

SOURCE: AP