Senior Counsel Paul Muite has called on the Kenyan government to issue an official statement following reports that American aid workers who had been responding to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are quarantining at the controversial bio-isolation facility at Laikipia Air Base in Nanyuki.

In a statement shared on X on Saturday, July 18, 2026, Muite questioned whether the government was complying with existing court orders and sought clarification on Kenya’s public health safeguards.

“Can GoK issue a Public Statement on this? Are U.S. citizens quarantined in Nanyuki Airbase in contempt of court orders? Are there NO concerns by GoK of an Ebola breakout in Kenya? All this in pursuit of some USDs by some individuals!” Muite wrote.

Muite’s remarks come after international media reported that seven American humanitarian workers who had been serving on the frontline of the Ebola response in eastern DRC had been placed under quarantine at the facility following new U.S. travel restrictions.

Seven Americans reportedly quarantined

According to Reuters, the seven Americans work for the Christian humanitarian organisation Samaritan’s Purse and had been deployed as part of an Ebola response mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The organisation said none of the workers had developed Ebola symptoms but were undergoing a mandatory 21-day quarantine before being allowed to return to the United States under newly introduced U.S. travel rules.

Reuters reported that the quarantine is taking place at the U.S.-backed bio-isolation facility established at Laikipia Air Base in Nanyuki.

The development marks the first publicly confirmed use of the facility since its construction began earlier this year.

Facility has remained controversial

The Nanyuki quarantine facility has been at the centre of legal and political controversy since the United States announced plans to establish a 50-bed bio-isolation unit for American citizens exposed to Ebola while serving in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.

The proposal triggered widespread protests by residents, civil society groups and political leaders, who questioned why Kenya had been selected to host the quarantine centre instead of the United States or another country.

Several demonstrations were held in Nanyuki, with protesters expressing fears that the facility could expose Kenya to unnecessary health risks despite assurances from authorities that strict biosafety protocols would be observed.

Court battle continues

The controversy also spilled into court after the Law Society of Kenya and the Katiba Institute challenged the establishment of the facility.

The High Court temporarily suspended construction and the admission of foreign patients pending determination of the constitutional petition.

Despite the court order, Reuters later reported that construction activities continued, citing satellite imagery and U.S. officials familiar with the project.

Kenya’s Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale subsequently directed that construction be halted following the court proceedings, although legal questions surrounding the project have continued.

No Ebola cases reported in Kenya

Health authorities have consistently maintained that Kenya has not recorded any Ebola cases linked to the current outbreak affecting parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighbouring Uganda.

The American aid workers currently quarantining at the Nanyuki facility are reported to be asymptomatic and are undergoing precautionary isolation as required under the new U.S. travel policy rather than because they have tested positive for Ebola.

As debate over the facility continues, Muite’s latest intervention is likely to intensify pressure on the government to clarify both the legal status of the Nanyuki quarantine centre and the safeguards in place to protect public health.