Kenyan President William Ruto looks on during opening remarks during his state visit, aimed at deepening economic, political, and strategic ties, at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, South Africa, June 4, 2026. Image @ REUTERS/Alet Pretorius
Construction at the disputed American Ebola quarantine site inside a Kenyan air force base is pressing on at pace, with fresh satellite imagery showing a cluster of white tents now standing on newly cleared ground — even as courts have ordered the work stopped and street protests have turned deadly.
Around 20 flights carrying medical equipment and specialist staff have landed at Laikipia Air Base in Nanyuki since late May , according to flight data and officials. The planes have brought in physicians, engineers, lab experts and construction workers, though no patients have arrived yet.
The planned 50-bed facility at the base, roughly 125 miles from Nairobi, is intended to quarantine Americans arriving from Congo who may have been exposed to Ebola but are not yet showing symptoms. The World Health Organization has recorded more than 200 suspected deaths and 900 suspected cases from the current outbreak, caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which has spread from eastern Congo into neighbouring Uganda.
Satellite imagery reviewed by Reuters shows that since May 27, a stretch of land covering about 11 acres within the base has been cleared. By June 4, a row of connected white tents had been erected in the middle of the cleared area, where tarmac appears to have been laid. Earth-moving equipment and other vehicles remain visible nearby, to the east of the runway.
The rapid construction has unfolded in defiance of the Kenyan judiciary. A High Court judge issued an order barring the Kenyan government from taking any further steps to build or begin operations at the facility pending resolution of the case. A lawsuit filed by the rights group Katiba Institute argued that the site could endanger public health given Kenya’s fragile health system, and that the agreement lacked transparency.
The controversy has spilled onto the streets. Angry protests swelled in Nanyuki, where police used tear gas and two people died of gunshot wounds after authorities opened fire, according to a protest organiser. Police and local health officials have not confirmed the deaths.
Against that backdrop, President William Ruto has stood firmly behind the arrangement. Speaking at a press conference during a state visit to South Africa, he said: “I can tell you without fear of any contradiction, and I can look at everybody in the eye, … and tell you we are doing the right thing.” He argued that turning down the American request would reflect poorly on Kenya. “It would be most unfortunate if on one request by the Americans to set up a facility at their cost, we would refuse, we would look very inhuman,” he said.
Washington has pledged $13.5 million towards Kenya’s broader Ebola preparedness efforts as part of the arrangement. U.S. health experts and former officials, however, have written an open letter to Congress warning that the plan to treat exposed Americans abroad raises “profound clinical, ethical, operational, and legal concerns.” The U.S. Embassy in Nairobi said it is aware of the court action and is working with the Kenyan government to resolve any objections.
By: Andrews Kwesi Yeboah