PROTEST OUTSIDE KENYA'S PLANNED US EBOLA QUARANTINE CENTRE
Residents of Nanyuki rally against facility at Laikipia Air Base
Hundreds of youths in the Kenyan town of Nanyuki have taken to the streets to demonstrate against a proposed Ebola quarantine centre at Laikipia Air Base, after the United States announced plans to send Americans exposed to Ebola abroad to the facility rather than flying them home.
Protesters marched to the gates of the air base on Monday, chanting anti-Ebola slogans, two days after Kenya's High Court suspended the establishment of the facility pending a legal challenge filed by the Law Society of Kenya and a constitutional watchdog. Both organisations argue that Kenya's fragile health system makes it unsuitable to host foreign Ebola patients.
Laikipia Governor Joshua Irungu joined the opposition, warning that the plan would expose local residents to the virus, noting that many community members work inside the base.
Kenya has recorded no Ebola cases, but neighbouring Uganda has reported nine infections and closed its border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where at least 282 confirmed cases of the Bundibugyo strain a rare form of Ebola with no approved vaccine or treatment have been reported.
Kenya's Health Minister and US officials have defended the plan, with Washington pledging $13.5 million toward Kenya's Ebola preparedness efforts.
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