Kenya court halts opening of US Ebola quarantine facility in the country

A Kenyan court has suspended US plans to open an Ebola quarantine facility for American citizens in the country, which has sparked public concern about cross-border infection risks.

The 50-bed isolation centre, the exact location of which has not been revealed, is to be staffed by US medics and was due to begin operations on Friday, according to an American official. The Kenyan government has not directly commented on the plan.

In its court petition, rights group the Katiba Institute warned that the arrangement posed "grave and imminent risks" to public health.

A High Court judge barred the operation of any Ebola facility in Kenya by any foreign government until the case is heard.

The US isolation centre in Kenya is intended to treat US citizens believed to have been exposed to the virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, according to US officials.

The current Ebola outbreak, which is centred in the the east of DR Congo, is suspected to have caused at least 220 deaths and more than 900 infections so far, the Congolese authorities say. There have also been seven cases and one death in Uganda.

Referring to plans to staff the treatment centre in Kenya a US official said "the first group has deployed. These individuals received extensive training in the use of PPE [personal protective equipment], in the use of proper quarantine techniques".

"We're going to be ready to take care of our citizens as needed," the official added.

Kenya was selected because of "its proximity [to the location of the outbreak] and to ensure Americans can be treated in a timely matter", the official said.

But in its ruling, the court in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, specifically restrained government agencies and officials from "establishing, operationalising, facilitating, approving or permitting" any Ebola-related quarantine, isolation or treatment centre tied to arrangements with the US or any foreign government in Kenya.

Justice Patricia Nyaundi barred authorities from admitting into Kenya anyone exposed to or infected with Ebola under the proposed arrangement.

The Katiba Institute argued that there was an imminent threat to life if the plans proceeded without safeguards.

The court agreed that public interest justified issuing interim orders while the matter was heard.

This comes amid heightened public concern and widespread criticism following reports that the US could send Ebola-exposed individuals to Kenya for observation or treatment.

The reports have triggered anxiety online, with many Kenyans questioning whether the country has sufficient containment capacity to safely manage such cases.

Kenya's largest doctors' union accused the government of engaging in "backdoor negotiations" and demanded the immediate release of any bilateral agreements underpinning the plan.

The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) questioned why Kenya was allegedly selected to host a quarantine facility for exposed US citizens, despite not being at the epicentre of the outbreak.

Kenya, East Africa's largest economy, had not recorded any Ebola cases as of Friday.

The union said it was "utterly disgusted" by what it described as the government's willingness to compromise Kenya's national biosecurity in exchange for foreign aid.

"If it is too dangerous for America, it is too dangerous for Kenya," the union stated, referencing what it claimed was Washington's refusal to allow Ebola cases on to US soil.

Davji Bhimji Atellah, KMPDU's secretary general, said the union "will not sit back and watch Kenya be treated as a containment colony for a lethal pathogen that we did not generate."

The union also objected to reports suggesting that the facility could be staffed by the US officials instead of Kenyan healthcare professionals.

"We will not tolerate an apartheid healthcare model on Kenyan soil," KMPDU warned.

The medical group gave the Kenyan government a 48-hour ultimatum to disclose details of the negotiations or risk nationwide industrial action.

"Kenya is a sovereign republic, not a geopolitical isolation ward," it added.

But in a statement after meeting foreign diplomats in Nairobi on Thursday, Kenya's President William Ruto said: "We agreed on the importance of cooperation and avoiding isolationism, recognising that public health threats do not respect borders and require coordinated regional and global action.

"Kenya will continue to act transparently, responsibly, and decisively to protect lives while contributing to regional and global health security," Ruto added.

He did not, however, directly refer to the US plans to establish the Ebola treatment centre.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also spoke with Ruto on the telephone on Thursday, Rubio's spokesperson said in a statement, adding that Washington intends to provide $13.5m (£10.7 m) in aid to fund Kenya's Ebola preparedness efforts.

The amount is part of a larger $112m US commitment for the regional response to the outbreak.

Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent.