Kenyan high court halts U.S. Ebola quarantine facility plans
May 29 (UPI) -- The High Court of Kenya called for a temporary halt to the United States' plans to establish a 50-bed Ebola quarantine facility for Americans.
The court order, dated Thursday, came in response to a petition by the Katiba Institute, a civil society group, challenging whether the quarantine facility is constitutional. The group is asking for details of any arrangement between the United States and Kenya about the facility to be disclosed.
The Kenyan government has not confirmed that there is any arrangement in place with the United States.
The Katiba Institute said such an arrangement poses "grave and imminent risks" to public health.
The court is blocking any Ebola facility from being built or opened in Kenya by any foreign government until it hears this case. It has also prohibited the admission into Kenya of anyone exposed to or infected with the Ebola virus as part of any proposed arrangement with the United States or another foreign government.
U.S. officials announced the plan to establish a field hospital staffed with American medics in Kenya on Thursday in response to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The facility would be used to monitor Americans who have been exposed to or are at risk of Ebola infection.
The U.S. Public Health Service said it planned to build and open the facility in a week, with plans to potentially expand the facility to 250 beds at a later date.
Congolese officials say there have been more than 220 deaths and 900 infections caused by the current Ebola outbreak.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports 1,077 suspected cases of Ebola in the DRC with 121 cases confirmed. There have been 17 confirmed deaths and 246 suspected deaths in the DRC. Uganda has reported one confirmed death and seven confirmed cases.
Copyright 2026 UPI News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.