Kenya rights group files petition to halt US Ebola quarantine centre plan
NAIROBI, Kenya (AFP) — A Kenyan rights group said on Thursday it had filed a court petition against plans to establish an Ebola quarantine centre for United States (US) citizens in the east African country.
Washington is building a “state-of-the-art” facility in Kenya for US citizens to quarantine after leaving the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is battling a major outbreak of the disease, a US administration official said.
Katiba Institute, a Kenyan rights group, said it had filed the petition seeking to halt operations at the facility and block the entry of people exposed to Ebola.
The rights group argued the centre was being established in secrecy and unilaterally, saying it “raises grave constitutional concerns”.
Jean Kaseya, head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), warned the facility could place “additional pressure” on Kenya’s health system.
“Adding an international quarantine responsibility for foreign nationals could stretch their national capacities… If it’s not well supported by additional resources,” Kaseya said during a press briefing on the outbreak.
Kenya has been testing arrivals and has yet to report any cases of Ebola on its territory from the current outbreak.
“The case is about preserving constitutional accountability, protecting public health and ensuring that no government may place expediency above the lives and safety of the people of Kenya,” Nora Mbagathi, executive director at Katiba Institute, said.
Kenya’s health ministry has said it is willing to work with other countries, including the US, but has not directly addressed questions about the facility.
The World Health Organization has recorded 10 confirmed and 223 suspected Ebola deaths in the Democratic Republic of Congo since the Ebola outbreak was declared in mid-May, out of more than 1,000 confirmed and suspected cases.
There have also been at least seven cases in Uganda, which neighbours both the DRC and Kenya.
No vaccine or treatment exists for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which is behind the current outbreak.
