Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has moved to reassure Kenyans over a proposed Ebola preparedness facility in Laikipia, saying the project is intended to strengthen the country’s ability to respond to infectious disease outbreaks and will serve both Kenyans and foreign nationals.
The facility, being developed through a partnership between Kenya and the United States, has become the centre of a heated public debate. Questions have emerged over reports suggesting that Americans exposed to Ebola during the ongoing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo could be monitored or isolated at the site.
Speaking as criticism mounted, Duale insisted that the project should be viewed as a public health measure rather than a facility reserved for foreign citizens.“Infectious diseases do not respect national borders,” Duale said, arguing that Kenya’s position as a major regional transport and trade hub leaves it vulnerable to cross-border health threats.
According to the Health Ministry, the Laikipia facility is expected to improve the country’s preparedness for future outbreaks by expanding isolation capacity, strengthening disease surveillance and supporting emergency response efforts.
Duale also rejected claims that the project was designed solely for Americans.
“This facility is not for US nationals only,” he said, adding that Kenyans would equally benefit from the enhanced infrastructure and health systems that come with the partnership.
Government officials say the collaboration will also support laboratory services, emergency preparedness training and the supply of specialised medical equipment. Similar isolation and treatment facilities have already been established at Kenyatta National Hospital and Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, with additional sites identified in counties considered vulnerable to cross-border disease transmission.
Yet the project continues to face resistance.
Civil society groups and health advocates have questioned both the location and the terms of the arrangement. Some critics argue that the government has not provided sufficient public information about how the facility would operate or the safeguards that would be put in place.
The concerns recently found their way into court, where a judge temporarily halted plans for the facility pending the hearing of petitions challenging the project.
The controversy intensified after international media reports indicated that the United States had reached an agreement with Kenya to establish a quarantine facility in Laikipia for people exposed to Ebola. The reports triggered public concern, with some Kenyans questioning whether the country was being asked to shoulder risks associated with outbreaks elsewhere.
Kenyan authorities have since maintained that any health facility established under the arrangement would operate within Kenya’s legal framework and public health regulations.
The debate comes at a time when East African countries remain on alert over the spread of infectious diseases across increasingly busy regional transport corridors. Public health experts generally agree that preparedness is essential, though they also stress the importance of transparency and public trust when governments undertake sensitive health projects.
For now, the future of the Laikipia facility remains tied to both the ongoing court proceedings and the government’s efforts to convince a sceptical public that the project is intended to protect, rather than endanger, the country.
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