Kenya health minister says US Ebola centre will proceed despite court ban

Kenya’s health minister said on Wednesday that a US‑funded Ebola quarantine centre at Laikipia Air Base will go ahead, days after deadly protests over the project.

Speaking in parliament, Aden Duale said the centre would serve both Kenyans and US nationals, dismissing fears it would be exclusive. “Laikipia airbase is one of the 23 quarantine isolation centres we are building. And we will not stop it,” he said.

Duale said the government would not consult citizens on the establishment of the facility. “This epidemic does not require any consultation,” he said, adding that the centre falls under a 2015 agreement with the US as part of its Biological Threat Reduction Program.

The facility was due to open last week but was temporarily blocked by a court order following a petition by the Katiba Institute, a constitutional watchdog. The institute argues the project raises legal, public health and transparency concerns.

Protests on Monday left two people dead, according to the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights. Hundreds of residents and youths had gathered outside the base in Nanyuki, about 200 kilometres north of Nairobi, demanding that the facility be scrapped.

The US embassy in Nairobi has said the centre is part of a broader regional response to the Ebola outbreak. The embassy also said it is working with Kenyan authorities to address objections.

Kenya has recorded no Ebola cases. Neighbouring Uganda has registered 15 cases, including one death. The outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has infected hundreds.

SOURCE: Reuters