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A Kenyan court has suspended the East African country’s plans to open an Ebola quarantine centre for United States (US) citizens in the country.
The facility was expected to open on Friday, according to US officials, to isolate Americans arriving from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where an Ebola outbreak is ongoing.
The centre is set to have 50 isolation beds and be run by US medical staff at Laikipia Air Base, about 200 kilometres from Nairobi. The court issued an order prohibiting the establishment of any Ebola-related quarantine or treatment facility in Kenya.
“A conservatory order is hereby issued restraining the respondents from establishing… any Ebola exposure, quarantine, isolation or treatment facility in Kenya,” the ruling stated.
Kenya has been screening arrivals but has not recorded any Ebola cases linked to the current outbreak. The country signed a health agreement with the US last year, but it is currently being challenged in court.
The Katiba Institute, a Kenyan rights group behind the petition which filed the case, said the project was planned in secrecy and raised serious constitutional concerns. Also speaking, the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) criticised the plan, saying it amounted to “trading the lives of its citizens for foreign aid.”
Kenya doctors have warned they may go on strike if the issue is not made public. The health ministry says it is open to working with other countries, including the US, but has not addressed the facility directly.
The government has been given 48 hours to respond, with another court hearing scheduled for June 2.
