In brief
The High Court found that Health Minister Aden Duale violated a court injunction by allowing the construction of a UNICEF‑backed Ebola isolation site at a military base in Nanyuki. The centre, intended for U.S. citizens suspected of Ebola, sparked protests that turned violent, killing three demonstrators. Duale’s decision to continue building the facility has drawn criticism from health unions and prompted a judicial ruling that the ministry cannot evade compliance through re‑characterisation of the work. Kenya’s president defended the project as “inhuman” to refuse, while the U.S. is backing the facility with aid. The case highlights tensions between emergency preparedness, sovereign decision‑making, and domestic civil‑rights concerns.
Kenya’s Health Minister Aden Duale has been found guilty of contempt of court after ignoring a High Court injunction that ordered the halt of a 50‑bed Ebola quarantine centre being built at a military base in Nanyuki.
The U.S. government is funding the site, which is meant for American citizens suspected of contracting Ebola during the ongoing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The court order, issued last month after a rights group petition, commanded that all construction stop until the case could be heard. On Monday, a judge ruled that Duale had ignored the injunction and allowed the project to proceed.
Protests erupted in Nanyuki, almost 140 km north of Nairobi, as residents opposed the centre. The demonstrations turned violent, and police crackdowns left three people dead – including 17‑year‑old Sylvester Muigai Ndung’u, who was reportedly shot in the head.
In response, the health ministry said it was not defying the court order because any ongoing work was undertaken solely on the Kenyan side and was in the national interest to protect Kenyans from Ebola transmission.
Judge Patricia Nyaundi added that the construction was already required to stop and that the government could not “re‑characterise” the work to circumvent the order.
Kenya’s President William Ruto defended the centre, noting that refusal would be “inhuman” and urged politicians to avoid “reckless” commentary on the grave matter of Ebola.
The United States has pledged $13.5 million in aid to support Kenya’s Ebola preparedness, which is part of a larger $112 million commitment for regional outbreak control.
The city of Bunia, the outbreak epicentre, is more than 700 km from Nanyuki, and the entire region, including Uganda, is affected by the virus. Kenya had no recorded Ebola cases as of the date of the ruling.
Health unions in Kenya, such as the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union, challenged the decision to host a quarantine facility for foreign nationals in a country that has not experienced the disease.
