Laikipia Governor Joshua Irungu has vehemently rejected a bilateral proposal to set up a specialised Ebola quarantine facility within his county.

Governor Irungu’s rejection follows revelations that the national government had quietly greenlit a United States proposal to construct a 50-bed emergency isolation unit at the Laikipia Air Base in Nanyuki.

The facility is intended to isolate and treat American citizens and aid workers exposed to the surging Bundibugyo strain of Ebola currently sweeping through the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Speaking to residents and the press in a video message shared via his official Facebook account, Governor Irungu stated that the county leadership and its residents are completely aligned against hosting the deadly virus on their soil.

“Tangu hayo mambo yamekuweko, tumeweza kuongea pamoja na viongozi, tumefanya utafiti wetu na tukasema yakwamba hapa Laikipia County tumekataa; hatutaki hiyo maneno. I know health is a devolved function, na kwa hivo hata kama kungehitajika quarantine ya watu wetu wa Laikipia county, sisi tulikuwa tumejipanga hayo mambo yakitokea,” the county chief said.

“Lakini kwa wakati huu hakuna any Ebola signs and symptoms katika Laikipia county, na kwa hivo tumekataa na tumekubaliana kama viongozi na kama wakaaji wa Laikipia county, hatutaki quarantine ile yenye imependekezwa kuanzishwa katika Laikipia county, kwasababu it is to expose our people kwa mambo ya Ebola which is currently not there.“

The governor expressed deep concern over the local economic and social dynamics, pointing out that Nanyuki is a highly integrated hub.

“Sisi na kule kwenye inasemekana itaekwa tuko na uhusiano, yakwamba kuna watu wetu wanaingia kule, wanafanya biashara Nanyuki, na kwa hivo this is a very bad virus, na hatungetaka hata kidogo on behalf of the great people of Laikipia County,” he said.

Governor Irungu has urged Laikipia residents to remain completely calm and peaceful, promising that county leadership will directly confront the national government to ensure the project is halted permanently.

“Haijaanzishwa lakini tumekataa na tutafanya whatever needs to be done to make sure that quarantine ya ebola is not started in Laikipia county na kwa hivo tutulie wakati huu kwasababu hakuna kitu imefanywa; tukuwe na amani, tutaenda hata tuongee na serikali kuu na tuone yakwamba hakuna quarantine ya ebola Laikipia county. If it is required in the future when the signs come, we will do our own. Kwa wakati huu hatuwezi kubali,” he said.

US Ebola quarantine facility in Kenya

The planned center at the Laikipia Air Base is part of an aggressive, controversial strategy by the Trump administration to completely keep Ebola cases off U.S. territory. Under the plan, exposed or asymptomatic Americans in East and Central Africa would be diverted to Nanyuki rather than flown back to the U.S.

While the State Department pledged $13.5 million to Kenya for Ebola preparedness following a high-level call between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and President William Ruto, local county chiefs are up in arms over being bypassed.

Growing rebellion

The announcement has sparked a coordinated mutiny among political leaders, with the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) filing a constitutional petition at the Milimani High Court seeking to block the proposed establishment of an American government Ebola quarantine and treatment facility in Kenya.

Public health experts have also questioned the ethics of the arrangement, noting that Kenya does not possess a Level 4 maximum-containment facility to handle the Bundibugyo strain, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or treatment.