We fell short on US Ebola facility communication; Health ministry admits

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The government has admitted shortcomings in communicating details of the proposed Kenya-US agreement to construct an Ebola isolation and testing facility at the Laikipia Air Base.

Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale and Medical Services Principal Secretary Ouma Oluga, appearing on separate interviews yesterday, said the government should have better explained the project to the public and pledged to improve communication.

“We are going to improve the entire ecosystem of communication,” Duale said while on Citizen TV.

Meanwhile, his PS Oluga said the engagement was aimed at clarifying why the facility was being built in Kenya rather than in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where a Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak was reported on May 15 and has since spread to Uganda and South Sudan, with 62 deaths recorded so far.

Duale defended President William Ruto’s decision to proceed with the project after international media reports highlighted the agreement and the Sh1.7 billion funding from the United States.

“The President of Kenya does not work the same way as the US administration…We are a very sovereign nation,” he argued.

The officials said the government was addressing public concerns while maintaining that it was not required to respond to every issue raised.

Duale on Wednesday told lawmakers that the Public Health Act guided the project and that public consultation was not necessary.

"We shall not consult…This epidemic does not require consultation. Before Kenyans die, the government has a responsibility to protect both Kenyans and non-Kenyans within our borders or transiting through our country," he said.

PS Oluga said Kenya currently has no private facility capable of conducting Ebola tests and that only government laboratories, including the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), can do so. He added that Kenya is conducting vaccine-related tests for the current strain.

He also cited past outbreaks in the region, including attacks on isolation centres in the DRC, as part of the rationale for establishing the facility in Kenya, alongside existing bilateral health agreements with the United States.

Duale said the facility remains under Kenyan control and does not compromise national sovereignty. He added that the project is part of broader regional preparedness efforts involving more than 20 similar facilities in high-risk areas.

He also maintained that construction would continue despite a court order halting the project, saying he was acting within his mandate.

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