Protests erupt in Kenya over proposed US Ebola quarantine center

Protests have intensified in Nanyuki, Kenya, regarding a proposed 50-bed US-backed Ebola quarantine facility at the Laikipia Air Base. Demonstrators express serious concerns about potential cross-border infection risks, alleging a lack of transparency, and criticizing what they perceive as the United States offloading its health burdens onto a country with no current Ebola cases. The unrest has turned violent, with reports of at least one person shot dead during protests on June 9, 2026, and two fatalities from earlier demonstrations last week.

Despite a Kenyan High Court injunction temporarily halting construction and patient admissions, US military flights have reportedly continued to bring in personnel and equipment to the site. While Kenyan President William Ruto has publicly supported the facility, emphasizing a broader health partnership with the US, local residents and activists are calling for the plan to be abandoned, asserting that Kenya should not be a "dumping site" for a disease considered too dangerous for American soil. The legal battle over the facility's legitimacy is ongoing, with the next court hearing scheduled for June 23, 2026.