Duale contradicts self in court over Ebola quarantine facility deal
National
By
Kamau Muthoni
| Jun 17, 2026
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has changed tune on a Sh1.7 billion deal between Kenya and the US for a quarantine facility in Nanyuki Airbase to treat American nationals infected by Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Katiba Institute moved back to court, seeking to have Duale and the Attorney General punished for continued construction of the facility despite a court ruling stopping it.
In response, Duale said the government had stopped construction and all activities relating to the facility, in compliance with orders issued by High Court judge Patricia Nyaundi.
“Immediately upon becoming aware of the conservatory orders issued by this court, the government complied and consequently suspended all activities being undertaken pursuant to the collaboration between the Government of Kenya and the Government of the United States of America relating to the proposed Ebola quarantine and isolation facility,” claimed Duale.
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The CS, however, admitted there are continued and enhanced quarantine and isolation activities in the same facility, but unrelated to the deal with the US.
According to him, the ongoing activities are meant to cushion Kenyan military officers who are deployed in DRC, and who allegedly require isolation and quarantine in the event they are infected by the virus.
Kenya has at least 450 personnel and additional other Kenyans in the war-torn nation, he said. “There exists a significant presence of Kenyans in the affected regions. Many Kenyans work in Uganda and DRC, and two of our leading banks (KCB and Equity) employ Kenyans who live in the region. In addition, Kenya has approximately 450 personnel in the DRC peace keeping mission, all of whom may require quarantine, isolation and other public health interventions upon return home should exposure occur.”
In response to Duale’s reply, Katiba Institute’s Executive Director Nora Mbagathi said the CS was contradicting himself by claiming all activities had been halted yet he admitted the US is funding the construction of the Laikipia facility.
She said President William Ruto had in two events in Wajir and in South Africa, publicly said Kenya had agreed to host American Ebola victims at the Laikipia facility, and that the US had committed funds for the same.
“It would be most unfortunate if on request by the Americans to set up a facility at their cost, we would refuse, we would look very inhuman,” Mbagathi quoted the President, adding that Duale was not candid with the court. “The CS cannot aver that in compliance with this court’s orders the two governments suspended activities and yet acknowledge that construction is nonetheless ongoing. The two positions are mutually exclusive and cannot be true simultaneously.”
In this case, it also emerged that the government has to-date not made public the US deal. The judge had ordered a full disclosure within seven days.
Laikipia county lawyers Levy Munyeri and Lydia Gichuru, argued that the county was in the dark about the deal and only learned about it from the media. “The applicant was never consulted or prior-informed about the deal to enable some form of consultation and public health preparedness to safeguard the interest of the residents,”claimed Munyeri.
Katiba Institute termed it ironic for Ministry of Health officials to accept a disease that would kill and cause problems to the public, owing to the government’s self-sacrifice to the US.
The lobby also cited Kelin-Kenya as an interested party, adding that the arrangement between Ruto and Trump administrations has not been subjected to institutional accountability, public participation, parliamentary oversight, or full disclosure of its implications.
Kenya has not recorded any Ebola case and Katiba says State should not expose citizens to the risk “for unknown token”.