Picture this: a 50-bed isolation facility ready to open on Friday morning, then a judge steps in late Thursday night and hits pause. That is exactly what has just unfolded in Kenya.

So, via cbinewstv, here is what we know. A Kenyan High Court has temporarily blocked plans for the United States to set up an Ebola quarantine centre for US nationals at Laikipia Air Base, about 200 kilometres from Nairobi.

The facility was due to open this Friday to receive Americans arriving from the Democratic Republic of Congo, where there is a major Ebola outbreak. US officials said it would have 50 isolation beds and be run by US medical staff, and that symptomatic Americans would not be flown home but sent to a third country instead.

Justice Patricia Nyaundi issued a conservatory order late on Thursday. It does two things: it restrains the government from establishing any Ebola exposure, quarantine, isolation or treatment facility, and it bars Kenya from admitting anyone exposed to or infected by Ebola under the planned deal until the case is heard. The next mention is set for 2 June.

Why the court action? The Katiba Institute, a Kenyan rights organisation, filed the petition. Their argument is blunt: the centre was being set up in secrecy and unilaterally, which they say "raises grave constitutional concerns regarding the rights to life, health, fair administrative action, public participation, and parliamentary oversight."

The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union has also waded in, condemning the move and accusing the government of trading the lives of its citizens for foreign aid. Kenyan doctors have warned they could take industrial action if the negotiations are not made public.

For context, Kenya signed a health deal with the US back in December last year, but that agreement is now being challenged in court. The health ministry says it is willing to work with other countries, including the US, but has not directly answered questions about this specific facility. Kenya has been screening arrivals and has not reported any Ebola cases from the current outbreak.

The court has given the Kenyan government 48 hours to respond to the petition. For now, the Laikipia site stays closed, and no exposed persons can be brought in.

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