US details reasons behind choosing Kenya for strategic Ebola facility
By Aloys Michael, June 3, 2026The United States has explained why Kenya was selected as the preferred location for a proposed Ebola quarantine facility, citing the country’s strategic position near regional disease outbreak zones and its existing international partnerships.
This comes even as President William Ruto defends the deal with Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale is slated to brief the National Assembly plenary on Kenya’s preparedness to manage the Ebola Bundibugyo virus and to clarify the nature of any arrangement between Nairobi and Washington.
Duale, alongside the senior Ministry of Health officials, will explain the reported agreement between Kenya and the United States regarding the quarantining of Americans exposed to the Ebola Bundibugyo virus.
Speaking at the White House on Tuesday, June 2, 2026, President Donald Trump’s Administrator of the Centres for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Mehmet Oz, said Kenya’s proximity to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where Ebola outbreaks have previously occurred, makes it an ideal location for rapid medical response.
According to Oz, the facility would enable patients to receive urgent treatment close to outbreak areas instead of being transported long distances during health emergencies.
“The main issue with having a facility close to DRC is if a patient is sick, I want to take the patient to the OR that is right next door to the room they are sick in, not the building next to them or three buildings two blocks away because time is precious,” he said.
Oz stressed that speed is critical when dealing with highly infectious diseases such as Ebola, noting that delays in treatment can significantly affect patient outcomes.
The CMS Administrator expressed confidence that ongoing engagements between Washington and Nairobi would lead to an agreement allowing the project to proceed.
“So we are confident, and the State Department is working on this diligently, that they are going to be able to work out something with Kenya,” Mehmet reiterated.
He revealed that extensive discussions had already taken place between U.S. and Kenyan officials regarding the proposed facility and highlighted Kenya’s established security infrastructure and international presence as additional factors behind the decision.
“There is a U.K. base there. We have other people who might be willing to welcome us, and we have our German colleagues as well,” Oz said.
While emphasising Kenya’s strategic importance in responding to Ebola outbreaks, Oz noted that the United States has alternative options available if necessary.
However, he argued that moving potentially infected patients across continents would be impractical and medically unsound.
“So there are many places we can send folks, but sending them across the world, especially if we are not sure what is going on with them, is probably not the wisest move,” he added.
Laikipia’s Ebola facility jitters
The remarks come amid growing public opposition to the proposed facility, particularly in Laikipia County, where concerns over safety and the risks associated with hosting an Ebola-related centre have sparked demonstrations that have already resulted in two deaths.
For instance, the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) has demanded transparency from the government regarding the establishment of an Ebola quarantine and treatment facility at Laikipia Air Base.
In a press release on Thursday, May 28, 2026, the KMPDU Secretary General, Dr Davji Bhimji Atellah, demanded answers on why Kenya was selected over neighbouring countries.
“As the vanguard of Kenya’s healthcare system, we are utterly disgusted by the government’s apparent willingness to trade national biosecurity and the lives of its citizens for foreign aid. We will not sit back and watch Kenya be treated as a containment colony for a lethal pathogen that we did not generate,” KMPDU stated.
KMPDU has questioned the logic of flying potentially exposed individuals into Kenya when the US has stated it will not allow Ebola cases onto its own soil.
At the same time, KMPDU is demanding full disclosure on the terms of the arrangement, especially the reported plan to host Ebola patients in the country.