One dead, streets full of protesters, and a court order in play — Kenya’s plan for a US-funded Ebola facility is turning into a full-blown national row.

So, things are getting pretty heated in Kenya right now, cbinews.tv reports. A proposed US-funded Ebola quarantine facility has triggered major backlash, with protests turning violent. One person is reportedly dead and the whole thing’s now tied up in court.

The plan? Build a centre to host American nationals coming from the Democratic Republic of Congo. But a lot of Kenyans aren’t having it.

Demonstrators have been gathering near Laikipia Air Base and in central Nairobi, accusing the government of letting the US use Kenyan soil to isolate Ebola patients — even though the country’s own health resources are stretched thin.

Rights group VOCAL Africa says a 27-year-old man was shot and killed during clashes with police near the site. Authorities haven’t confirmed the death yet, but the Kenya Red Cross did say they’d heard reports of injuries.

Protesters even marched to the Ministry of Health with a petition, basically telling the government: “Don’t sign off on this.”

The big worry? People feel Kenya just doesn’t have the infrastructure to safely run an Ebola quarantine centre. And a question keeps coming up: why isn’t the US building this on American soil?

Here’s what we know about the facility itself: 50 isolation beds, staffed by American medical personnel. Washington’s also promised $13.5 million to boost Kenya’s Ebola preparedness.

President William Ruto is backing the project though. He’s calling it part of Kenya’s wider disease preparedness strategy, saying it would help both Kenyans and international partners. He’s also brushed off the criticism, insisting the government knows what it’s doing and that the centre isn’t “unique or exceptional” — just part of the system for handling health emergencies.

But the courts have stepped in. Kenya’s High Court has extended a temporary suspension on the project. They’ve given the government seven days to disclose all the agreements tied to the facility. That legal challenge came from the Katiba Institute, which argues there needs to be way more transparency before anything moves forward.

Now, here’s the context: Kenya hasn’t actually recorded any Ebola cases, even with extensive traveller screening. But next door in Uganda, there are confirmed infections linked to the DRC outbreak. The WHO says more than 300 Ebola cases and dozens of deaths have been recorded in the DRC since May. One American medical missionary who caught the virus there was evacuated to Germany for treatment.

And it’s not just Kenyans pushing back. Some US lawmakers are also asking why Americans infected abroad would be sent to a third country instead of being treated back home.

It’s messy, it’s emotional, and it’s raising big questions about public health, sovereignty, and who should carry the burden when outbreaks hit.

Source: cbinews.tv

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