A Kenyan court has temporarily stopped the establishment of an Ebola quarantine centre for United States nationals in the country following a petition filed by a rights group.
The facility, which was expected to open on Friday, was reportedly planned to quarantine Americans arriving from the Democratic Republic of Congo, where authorities are battling a major Ebola outbreak.
According to US officials, the centre was to be located at Laikipia Air Base, about 200 kilometres from Nairobi, and was expected to have 50 isolation beds managed by US medical personnel.
However, the court issued a conservatory order restraining the respondents from setting up any Ebola exposure, quarantine, isolation or treatment facility in Kenya pending further proceedings.
“A conservatory order is hereby issued restraining the respondents from establishing any Ebola exposure, quarantine, isolation or treatment facility in Kenya,” the court order read.
Kenya has not recorded any confirmed case of Ebola from the current outbreak, although authorities have been testing arrivals and intensifying surveillance due to the country’s exposure to regional travel and trade routes.
The legal challenge was filed by Katiba Institute, a Kenyan rights organisation, which argued that the proposed centre was being established secretly and unilaterally, raising serious constitutional concerns.
Kenya had signed a health agreement with the United States in December last year, but the deal is currently being challenged in court.
The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union also condemned the proposed facility, accusing the government of trading the lives of citizens for foreign aid.
Kenyan doctors have threatened industrial action if details of the negotiations are not made public.
Kenya is considered vulnerable to Ebola due to outbreaks in neighbouring Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The country’s position as East Africa’s major logistics hub also heightens concerns over possible importation of the virus through airports, land borders and trade corridors.
Although Kenya’s Ministry of Health has said it is willing to work with other countries, including the United States, it has not directly addressed questions surrounding the quarantine facility.
The Kenyan government has been given 48 hours to respond to the petition, while the matter has been fixed for mention on June 2.
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