NAIROBI, Kenya- Kenya has provided written approval for the United States to establish a quarantine facility in the country for Americans exposed to Ebola, according to two U.S. officials briefed on the ongoing Ebola response in East and Central Africa.
Reuters reported on Thursday that the proposed facility would be used to isolate and monitor American citizens exposed to the deadly virus during the worsening Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda.
The quarantine facility is expected to be located in central Kenya, with earlier reports indicating Laikipia Air Base as one of the possible sites under consideration.
The development comes as Washington dramatically expands its Ebola response strategy across the region.
The U.S. State Department announced this week that it had mobilised more than $112 million (over Sh14.5 billion) in bilateral emergency assistance within less than two weeks to contain the Ebola outbreak at its source and prevent international spread.
According to the State Department, the funding will support procurement and delivery of personal protective equipment (PPE), border screening, surveillance, contact tracing, laboratory diagnostics and treatment support in affected areas of DRC and Uganda.
An additional $50 million (about Sh6.4 billion) has also been committed through the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to establish up to 50 Ebola response clinics in affected regions.
Washington further disclosed that it is channeling another $300 million (about Sh38.7 billion) through OCHA pooled funds for broader humanitarian interventions in DRC and Uganda.
The proposed Kenyan facility would reportedly be staffed by members of the U.S. Public Health Service and equipped with specialised biocontainment units for handling highly infectious diseases.
Kenya’s Ministry of Health has confirmed discussions with the United States and other international partners regarding Ebola preparedness but insists that any cooperation will strictly comply with Kenyan laws and public health regulations.
The reports have, however, triggered growing political and legal opposition within Kenya.
The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) has demanded transparency over the arrangement, warning of potential biosecurity risks, while Katiba Institute has filed an urgent petition seeking to block the establishment of the facility pending court review.
The World Health Organization has declared the ongoing outbreak involving the Bundibugyo strain a public health emergency of international concern as infections continue spreading in parts of eastern DRC and Uganda.
