Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has confirmed that Kenya has established holding areas at key border points as part of heightened surveillance measures aimed at preventing a possible outbreak of Ebola in the country.

Speaking during a presser on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, Duale assured Kenyans that the government is ensuring screening, verification, and traceability of travellers entering the country from high-risk regions, particularly neighbouring Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

“Under serious screening and verification, we are also putting up holding areas within the border if we get a case. So the country is fully, fully prepared,” Duale said.

Duale’s appeal to the public

Duale urged the public to take personal responsibility by promptly reporting suspected cases, especially among individuals who may have recently travelled to affected regions.

“If there are any of your relatives who feel sick and he had recently been to Uganda or DRC, please go to the nearest medical facility so that our medical and healthcare workers can check,” he added.

Duale further revealed that the Ministry of Health is actively tracing individuals who may have travelled to high-risk areas within the last month as part of expanded containment efforts.

He warned that the Ebola virus remains a serious threat due to the absence of a vaccine, stressing the need for strict vigilance.

“This particular virus, Ebola virus, does not have a vaccine. So we have to be very, very careful,” he said.

Trump’s quarantine facility in Kenya

The remarks by Duale come as the Trump administration is expected to deploy United States (US) public health officers to Kenya to staff a potential quarantine facility ‌there amid the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The facility, which was pending approval from the Kenyan government ​as of Tuesday, May 26, 2026, is intended for Americans who have been exposed to or at high risk of testing positive for the virus in the region, as well as those who test positive, the report said, citing people familiar with ‌the matter.

Some members of the ⁠U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, a uniformed branch under the Department of Health and Human Services, have received notices ⁠to deploy, the report said.

The White House and HHS did not immediately respond to our requests for comment.