Ebola case exposes gaps in Kenya's preparedness

Health workers in PPE conduct safety checks during an MSF Ebola response training in Ongata Rongai, Kajiado County, on July 10, 2026. [AFP]

The battle to contain the Ebola virus in the country has begun in earnest, with the challenge harder than previously anticipated. Patient one, who died in Nairobi Hospital, could have made contact with more people than was announced by the Ministry of Health Cabinet Secretary, Aden Duale. Having been processed as an ordinary traveller, the patient, who arrived at the JKIA on Saturday at 1.10pm from Entebbe, Uganda, could have made contact with other travellers and airport workers.  The driver who took him to hospital has been identified as a contact and is to be placed in isolation. After being dropped off at the hospital, the patient went through the normal protocols until a doctor recommended he be isolated. It has also emerged that test results confirming the Ebola Bundibugyo virus came out after the patient had died.

From the JKIA to his interactions with the driver and medical service providers at the Nairobi Hospital, the number of Kenyans exposed to the virus could be higher.