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| Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua |
Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has said he initially brushed aside reports about a planned Ebola isolation and quarantine facility in Laikipia, insisting he thought they were fake and even AI-generated, until his doctor son later confirmed they were true.
While speaking during a Sunday service at AIC Karen on Sunday, May 31, he said the controversy surrounding the proposed Kenya–U.S. health arrangement was continuing to intensify.
Gachagua said the idea of Kenya hosting an Ebola-related facility for Americans exposed to the virus was deeply troubling, arguing that the country should not take risks that the United States itself is unwilling to take.
The debate follows reports that the U.S. planned to set up a quarantine facility at Laikipia Air Base in Nanyuki for Americans exposed to Ebola abroad, with those who developed symptoms to be evacuated to a third country rather than brought home.
Reuters reported that the facility was approved by the Kenyan government and that Washington planned to contribute $13.5 million toward Kenya’s Ebola preparedness.
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| President William Ruto |
His comments came just days after the High Court in Nairobi suspended the plan, following petitions from Katiba Institute and the Kenya Law Society, which argued that the arrangement raised public health and constitutional concerns and lacked sufficient public participation.
The court ordered that the matter be mentioned again on June 2, 2026.
The dispute comes against the backdrop of a fast-moving Ebola emergency in the region.
WHO says the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda involves Bundibugyo virus disease, for which there is no licensed vaccine or specific treatment, and describes the situation as a public health emergency of international concern.
WHO reported at least eight confirmed cases and 246 suspected cases in eastern Congo as of May 16, alongside confirmed cases in Kampala.
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