Kenya’s health minister has halted a US-backed Ebola quarantine project after a court contempt finding intensified legal and public pressure.
Kenya’s Health Minister Aden Duale has ordered an immediate halt to construction of a US-backed Ebola quarantine facility after a High Court judge found he had ignored an earlier order to stop the work.
Duale appeared in court on Tuesday, apologized and said he had “directed the immediate and complete cessation” of building work at a military base in Nanyuki, about 140km north of Nairobi. Judge Patricia Nyaundi accepted the apology and discharged him with a stern warning, according to the BBC report.
The dispute centers on a planned 50-bed isolation facility intended for US citizens suspected of contracting Ebola during the current outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The High Court had ordered construction to stop last month until a case brought by the rights group Katiba Institute could be heard.
On Monday, the judge ruled that Duale had allowed the project to continue despite knowing the court had ordered all construction at the site to stop. Lawyers for those who brought the case had asked the court to impose a 15-month custodial sentence on the minister.
Duale told the court he regretted any action or misunderstanding that may have led to non-compliance with the order. He also said Kenya and the US had agreed to suspend the proposed collaboration on the facility following the court order.
The project has drawn sharp opposition in Nanyuki and from some medical voices in Kenya. Katiba Institute warned in its petition that the arrangement posed “grave and imminent risks” to public health, while the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union has questioned why Kenya was selected to host a quarantine site for exposed American citizens.
Duale rejected the health concerns in court, saying decisions by the health ministry were based on science and technical advice. He argued that fears the facility could bring Ebola into nearby communities were scientifically unfounded and said the military airbase location would involve strict access controls.
The quarrel has also spilled into the streets. Protests in Nanyuki against the facility have turned deadly, with three people dying as police attempted to disperse demonstrators. Among them was 17-year-old Sylvester Muigai Ndung’u; witnesses said he was shot in the head, while police told the BBC they were awaiting post-mortem results to determine the cause of death.
President William Ruto has defended the plan, saying the US had requested the centre and that refusing would be “inhuman.” A spokesperson for US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington intended to provide $13.5m in aid for Kenya’s Ebola preparedness, part of a wider $112m US commitment to the regional outbreak response.
Kenya had not recorded any Ebola cases as of Monday. The outbreak has affected the Democratic Republic of Congo, with more than 1,000 confirmed cases, and Uganda, which has recorded 20 confirmed cases, most imported from DR Congo. The next test for the disputed project is whether the halted construction remains suspended while the underlying court case proceeds.
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