A Kenyan rights group has dragged the government to court over plans to establish a United States-backed Ebola quarantine centre in the East African country.
The group, Katiba Institute, is seeking an order to stop operations at the facility and block the entry of persons exposed to Ebola into Kenya.
According to reports, the US is building a “state-of-the-art” quarantine centre in Kenya for American citizens leaving the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is currently battling a major Ebola outbreak.
Katiba Institute accused the Kenyan government of handling the arrangement secretly, warning that the move raises serious constitutional and public health concerns.
“The case is about protecting public health and ensuring no government places expediency above the lives and safety of Kenyans,” the institute’s Executive Director, Nora Mbagathi, said.
The controversy has sparked outrage among medical professionals in Kenya, with the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union condemning what it described as “backdoor negotiations.”
The union threatened industrial action if details of the agreement are not made public within 48 hours.
“We are utterly disgusted by the government’s willingness to trade national biosecurity for foreign aid,” the union stated.
Its Secretary General, Davji Bhimji Atella, declared: “If it is too dangerous for America, it is too dangerous for Kenya.”
The head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Jean Kaseya, also warned that the quarantine facility could place additional pressure on Kenya’s healthcare system if not backed with adequate resources.
Kenya has intensified screening of travellers arriving into the country but has not recorded any Ebola case linked to the current outbreak.
The World Health Organisation disclosed that more than 1,000 confirmed and suspected Ebola cases have been recorded in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with hundreds of deaths reported.
At least seven cases have also been confirmed in neighbouring Uganda.
Health experts say the current outbreak involves the deadly Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there is presently no approved vaccine or treatment.
