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Kenya: At least one dead during protests against the Ebola center
By Ali Bamba (with AFP)
Last updated: 4 hours ago
At least one person was shot and wounded Tuesday during violent clashes between Kenyan police and protesters opposing the construction of an Ebola quarantine center for American citizens in a tourist town.
The center, located at Laikipia Air Base in Nanyuki, at the foot of Mount Kenya, is intended to quarantine Americans arriving from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which is facing a serious Ebola epidemic.
Kenya has never recorded a case of Ebola and many oppose the idea of allowing people who may be carrying this highly contagious disease into the country.
Clashes broke out around Nanyuki, where protesters lit fires and threw stones at law enforcement, who responded with tear gas and water cannons, as observed by AFP journalists.
Gunshots were heard, and AFP saw a man lying motionless after being shot in the head. The Red Cross reported that another person was injured by a tear gas grenade.
AFP was able to confirm that dozens of people had been arrested, including by plainclothes and armed police officers.
"Laikipia is not a dumping ground... I do not appreciate the United States' decision to build a quarantine center in our country," said Priscilla Waimani, 47, a protester wrapped in a Kenyan flag.
The center, which is expected to have 50 isolation beds and be run by American staff, was nearing completion at the end of last week.
The work continued despite a provisional suspension order issued by the High Court of Kenya and opposition from local political leaders in Laikipia.
According to a human rights organization, two people died during the June 1st protests, although the circumstances of these deaths remain unclear.
President William Ruto's government has pledged to continue implementing this project, stating that it owes Washington a debt for all these years of aid.
The United States has also pledged $13.5 million in aid to support Kenya's Ebola preparedness efforts.
"The American people and the American government have been our partners in healthcare for almost 25 to 30 years," Ruto said last week.
"It would be truly regrettable if we refused a request from the Americans to set up a facility at their own expense. That would give us a very inhumane image."
The Kenyan health minister stated that the facility would be intended for both Kenyans and Americans, although this was not the message conveyed by Washington.
But the protesters insist that she resolve the problems within her own territory.
"We are telling the Americans to take their Ebola and go back to their country," Mwangi Wangai, 30, told AFP during the demonstration, wearing personal protective equipment.
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The news about the quarantine center has already had repercussions for tourism in Kenya, even in Nairobi, the capital, located some 200 kilometers (125 miles) away.
Eva Mwangi, sales manager for the luxury hotel group Tribe in Nairobi, said that about 10% of corporate bookings had been cancelled since the announcement of the quarantine center's creation.
"The government must reiterate the measures it is implementing to ensure safety. If this is done proactively, it can only be beneficial," she said.
The construction of this center follows a controversial agreement reached last year between the United States and Kenya in the field of health, under which the East African country agreed to transmit considerable amounts of health data in exchange for multi-billion dollars in aid.
The World Health Organization has declared an international health emergency following the outbreak in the DRC, where 550 cases have been confirmed, including 101 deaths.
Abdirahman Mahamud, director of health emergency alert and response operations at the WHO, said the center was the result of "local bilateral collaboration" between the United States and Kenya, and stressed that dialogue was essential.
"It is impossible to put in place effective preparation or intervention without the support of the community," he told reporters in the city of Bunia, in northeastern DRC.
Despite fears of the virus spreading to neighboring countries, only Uganda has recorded cases. The country has confirmed 19 to date, almost all of them Congolese nationals who crossed the border.
https://fr.africanews.com/2026/06/0...ifestations-contre-le-centre-americain-dedie/
