President William Ruto has defended the establishment of a quarantine Ebola centre at the Laikipia Air Base.
Ruto said the facility, being set up with support from the United States, is intended to safeguard public health and enhance the country’s capacity to respond effectively to health emergencies.
He likened the project to measures taken during the Covid-19 pandemic, when a similar isolation facility for all was established at Nairobi Hospital to manage and contain infections.
His remarks come days after the High Court suspended the establishment of the facility and barred the arrival of any foreign patients pending the determination of a case filed by the Law Society of Kenya and Katiba Institute.
Speaking at a media roundtable at Wajir State Lodge, he urged leaders and stakeholders not to politicise public health interventions and reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to protecting the health and well-being of all Kenyans.
“The quarantine facilities being established at Laikipia Air Base with the support of the United States are intended to safeguard public health and strengthen our capacity to respond effectively to health emergencies”. He said.
“This has happened before during the COVID-19 pandemic when we established a special facility at The Nairobi Hospital”, he added.
He said his administration was taking all necessary steps to prevent, detect, and manage any potential cases, while strengthening the public health response capabilities with the support of our international partners.
“Kenya’s partnership with the United States spans decades and has played an important role in supporting our response to major public health challenges, including HIV/Aids, COVID-19, and Ebola”, he revealed.
Meanwhile, Nanyuki residents staged protests against the project, vowing to sustain the demonstrations until its implementation is stopped.
Marlin Ndegwa, a resident, said that the agreement between the Kenyan Government and the US to have the centre established in Nanyuki for Americans exposed to the virus was reached without public participation, questioning why it could not be done in the affected countries.
“This will expose our people to Ebola,” he said, adding that many locals work inside the air base and could be exposed.
Kenya has not recorded any Ebola cases, but neighbouring Uganda has reported nine and closed its border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
