Kenya should reject a United States request to host an Ebola treatment and quarantine facility, Law Society of Kenya president Charles Kanjama has said, warning that the plan could expose the country to unnecessary risk during a fast-moving outbreak in the region.

Taking to his X account on Thursday, May 28, 2026, Kanjama said Kenya must take “robust measures to avoid cases of Ebola from entering Kenya,” including rejecting the proposed facility that would receive Ebola patients from other countries.

He said the US plan, which would see Americans exposed to Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo flown to Kenya for isolation and treatment, places the country in a risky position despite its distance from the outbreak zone.

“That includes declining the request by the US Government to set up an Ebola Treatment Centre in Kenya where Ebola patients from other countries will be flown in,” he said.

Kanjama stressed that Ebola patients must still receive proper care, but argued that treatment centres should be located close to the source of infection to reduce spread and improve response.

“Since all Ebola patients deserve access to the highest standard of medical care, and we owe them human solidarity even as we protect the healthy population, public health dictates require that the medical treatment facility and treatment isolation protocols be set up near the common epicentre of the infection,” he said.

He pointed to eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and western Uganda as the most appropriate locations, where the outbreak is currently concentrated.

“That is either in Eastern Congo or Western Uganda,” Kanjama added.

Kenya faces Ebola pressure

His comments come as the US government confirmed plans to establish a quarantine and treatment centre in Kenya for Americans affected by the Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo. The White House says the facility is intended to allow rapid evacuation from the outbreak zone without long-haul flights back to the United States.

Public health experts have raised concerns about the policy, warning that moving exposed or infected patients across borders can complicate containment efforts and raise ethical questions about access to care.

The debate comes amid a widening Ebola outbreak in the region, with cases reported in eastern Congo and spillover infections in Uganda. Health authorities have recorded hundreds of suspected infections and more than a hundred confirmed cases, with efforts focused on tracing contacts and isolating patients.

Uganda has also taken the unusual step of closing its border with Congo in an effort to limit spread, despite World Health Organization guidance discouraging blanket border closures.

WHO has warned that restricting movement can push travellers into informal crossings that are harder to monitor, potentially increasing the risk of transmission.

The US proposal has now placed Kenya in a sensitive diplomatic position, as it weighs cooperation with a key ally against domestic public health concerns.