Kenya court extends suspension of US Ebola facility for 3 weeks

A Kenyan court on Tuesday extended by three weeks its suspension of a US Ebola quarantine facility at Laikipia Air Base and ordered the government to disclose the agreement behind the project, which has triggered protests that left two people dead.

Justice Patricia Nyaundi issued the orders after finding that issues raised in a constitutional petition challenging the facility required further consideration before the project could proceed.

The judge directed the government to make public the agreement and related documents underpinning the Ebola facility before the next court hearing.

The court also extended orders suspending the establishment and operation of the facility, as well as the admission of Ebola-exposed individuals, pending further proceedings.

The case was filed by Katiba Institute, a Kenyan constitutional and governance watchdog, which argues that the project raises legal, public health, and constitutional concerns and should not move forward without greater transparency and public participation.

The ruling came a day after hundreds of residents and youths protested outside the facility in Nanyuki, about 200 kilometers (124 miles) north of the Kenyan capital Nairobi.

The US has defended the arrangement, with the Office of Jeremy P. Lewin, the US under secretary for foreign assistance, humanitarian affairs and religious freedom, saying Washington was aware of the court action and remained optimistic that concerns could be resolved through engagement with Kenyan authorities.

Kenya has not recorded any Ebola cases, but health officials have intensified surveillance and screening measures at airports, border crossings, and health facilities as authorities monitor the regional outbreak.

Ruto’s comments are the first time he has publicly confirmed that Trump made the request for the facility, putting the dispute at the center of both Kenya-US relations and a growing domestic political controversy.