Hard questions emerge over proposed US Ebola treatment centers in Kenya

Workers from the Uganda Red Cross Society disinfect during the evacuation of the body of a suspected Ebola victim in Kampala on May 26, 2026. [AFP]

The United States plans to set up Ebola treatment centers in Kenya for its citizens who contract the disease, according to reports by The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.

“The initial plan was to monitor those Americans in Kenya, but to move anyone who started to show symptoms for treatment in Europe,” The New York Times reported.

“But the administration now plans to provide treatment in Kenya as well, according to two of the people with knowledge of the planning. Government scientists and physicians who develop symptoms will also be treated in Kenya.”

The move now differs from previous Ebola outbreaks, when the United States evacuated infected citizens for treatment at specialised facilities back home.

If implemented, Kenya would host quarantine and treatment facilities for Americans infected with the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola Virus Disease, which has been reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.

What experts are saying

Noah Midamba, a defense and foreign policy expert, said the reported US plan raises questions about Kenya’s sovereignty and the terms of the arrangement.

“What will be the implications for Kenya?” Midamba asked, adding that the plan appeared aimed at containing infections locally to prevent suspected cases from being transported to the United States, based on lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“What is the agreement between Kenya and the US? Will Kenyans also be allowed to access the facility, and where will the doctors treating patients come from?” he posed.

The foreign policy expert also averred that the government should disclose details of any agreement and explain how Kenya approved the proposal.

The Ebola outbreak was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

On May 18, 2026, the United States invoked an emergency public health rule barring entry to travelers who had been in the DRC, Uganda or Sudan within the previous 21 days.

At the time of publishing this article, Kenya’s Ministry of Health had yet to respond to our queries about the reported US plan.

However, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale on Wednesday said Kenya was establishing holding centers at border points.

“We are also putting up holding areas within the border points in the event we get a case. The country is fully prepared for Ebola,” said Duale.

He urged Kenyans to remain vigilant and seek medical attention if they or anyone they know recently traveled to Uganda or the DR Congo.

Duale said the ministry was tracing people who had traveled to the affected countries within the past month for testing and monitoring.

“I want to assure our citizens that all our health systems are in top gear, laboratories three of them are ready and working 24/7 to make sure they test for any specific case, we also one mobile laboratory,” he said adding that border points between Kenya and Sudan have been manned.

Kenya’s Ebola testing facilities include the National Public Health Laboratory, mobile laboratories and branches of the Kenya Medical Research Institute in Nairobi and Kisumu.