Kenyan police fired tear gas on Tuesday to scatter protesters in the central town of Nanyuki opposing a quarantine center for Americans exposed to Ebola that the US government has raced to build despite Kenyan court orders barring further work.
The proposed 50-bed unit on an air force base has angered many Kenyans, who accuse the United States of offloading the health risk of caring for those exposed to the Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.
Two people were killed in protests last week in Nanyuki, where frustration has grown among residents as Kenyan and US authorities publicly reaffirm their commitment to the plan in spite of the court orders.
Police fired tear gas to disperse small groups of protesters who had gathered early on Tuesday. One protester carried a white cross emblazoned with the phrase “Respect Ebola,” in red.
US President Donald Trump’s administration has said it “cannot and will not allow” any cases to enter the US, unlike during the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa when several infected US nationals were treated on US soil.
The Nanyuki facility is designated for Americans who have been exposed to the virus but are still asymptomatic. Patients who develop symptoms would be sent for care to other countries, US officials have said.
US military planes have continued to ferry in staff and equipment even after court orders blocking the plan, according to US and diplomatic sources and flight tracking data, with several aircraft expected to land this week.
Satellite imagery seen by Reuters shows an increasing buildup of white tents in the middle of a plot of land totaling around 0.046 sq km (11 acres) that was cleared within the Laikipia Air Base since May 27.
The United States has said it is aware of the court challenge and was “working with the Kenyan government to resolve any objections.”
Kenyan officials have said the facility would also serve Kenyans and foreign nationals in addition to American citizens, but US officials have not confirmed this.
