Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale had reassured Kenyans that the establishment of Ebola quarantine and isolation facilities across the country does not mean Kenya has recorded a case of the deadly virus.
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale said the facilities are part of the government’s preparedness strategy to ensure the country can respond swiftly should an imported Ebola case be detected.
“We are aware that some members of the public have raised questions regarding the establishment of quarantine and isolation facilities for this disease. These facilities are preparedness measures and do not mean that Kenya has an Ebola case,” Duale said.
According to the CS, the isolation and quarantine facilities are designed to enable health authorities to quickly contain suspected cases, protect healthcare workers and prevent the virus from spreading into communities.
“Just as a country prepares fire engines before a fire occurs, public health authorities must prepare isolation and quarantine facilities before an outbreak occurs,” he stated.
Duale stressed that investing in preparedness is far less costly than responding to a full-scale outbreak, noting that previous Ebola epidemics across Africa resulted in billions of dollars in economic losses through disruptions to trade, tourism, travel and investment.
The reassurance comes amid ongoing Ebola outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda, although Kenya has not reported any confirmed case of the disease.
Duale revealed that the Ministry of Health, through the Kenya National Public Health Institute (KNPHI), activated the national Ebola Incident Management System on May 20, 2026, and has since intensified preparedness measures nationwide.
The measures include enhanced screening of travellers at airports and land border points, strengthened surveillance systems, expansion of laboratory testing capacity, training of healthcare workers and stockpiling of personal protective equipment.
Duale said Kenya has so far screened more than 140,000 travellers arriving from affected countries and investigated over 100 Ebola alerts, all of which tested negative.
He urged Kenyans to remain calm but vigilant and continue observing public health measures to reduce the risk of Ebola entering and spreading in the country.
