Tear Gas, Coffins and Politics: Kenyan Protesters Rally Against US Ebola Hub

Sat Jun 13 2026 11:39:04 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

In Nanyuki, Kenyan crowds clash with police as they fight the U.S. plan to build an Ebola quarantine center.

Kenyan demonstrators in Nanyuki used a coffin, Swahili signs and national flags to protest the construction of a 50‑bed U.S. Ebola treatment center. Police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd, after last week’s skirmish left two dead. A Kenyan High Court halted the project, but authorities say they are "optimistic" to resolve objections. The debate highlights worries about cross‑border virus risk and the lack of transparency.

Tear Gas, Coffins and Politics: Kenyan Protesters Rally Against US Ebola Hub

Police in Kenya fired tear gas to break up a protest in the town of Nanyuki, where demonstrators carried a white coffin bearing the word “Ebola,” raised Kenyan flags, and brandished placards demanding the U.S. quarantine‑centre plan be scrubbed.

The U.S. administration has chosen Nanyuki because of its proximity to the Democratic Republic of Congo outbreak, which has logged 608 confirmed cases and 102 deaths, and because the city offers limited airport facilities. The 50‑bed centre would be run by U.S. medics and is meant to treat American citizens returning from Africa.

Last month, Kenya’s High Court stopped construction after a rights‑group filed a case claiming the site posed “grave and imminent risks” to public health. Yet satellite images show work continuing at the airbase, prompting the Kenyan president to say refusing the request would be “inhuman” and urging people not to politicise Ebola.

Protester Priscilla Imani warned residents that the plan turned Laikipia county into a “dumping site” and fears would keep people away. She said, “Laikipia is not a dumping site and our voices must be heard.”

A U.S. official admitted awareness of the court case but claimed the administration was optimistic that the objections could be resolved. Meanwhile, Kenya has recorded no Ebola cases so far.

Key Takeaway: The clash over the U.S. quarantine centre exposes tensions over health‑security, transparency, and the politics of crisis‑response.