The facility, located about 200 km (125 miles) north of Nairobi, was being developed to accommodate potential U.S. citizens evacuated from the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is battling a significant Ebola outbreak. The center was designed with approximately 50 isolation beds and was expected to be operated by U.S. medical personnel.

The project has triggered strong public opposition since its announcement in May, with critics questioning both the decision-making process and the prospect of hosting individuals potentially exposed to Ebola in a country that has never recorded a confirmed case of the disease.

Rights organizations petitioned Kenya’s High Court, arguing that authorities had proceeded with the project without adequate public consultation or transparency. The court subsequently ordered a suspension of work, but government agencies continued preparations at the site.

On Monday, the court ruled that Duale was in contempt for failing to comply with or respond to the earlier order and directed him to appear for sentencing.

Appearing before the court on Tuesday, Duale apologized and said he had instructed officials to cease all activities linked to the facility.

“I have directed the immediate and complete cessation of any intended construction, site preparation, or related activities concerning the Laikipia Air Base facility pending the hearing and determination of the substantive petition or until further orders of this court,” Duale told the court.

The controversy has fueled protests in Laikipia County, where demonstrators have voiced concerns about public health risks and government transparency. According to authorities, three people have been killed during unrest linked to opposition to the project.

The United States has pledged $13.5 million to strengthen Kenya’s Ebola preparedness and response capabilities. However, opponents of the quarantine center have also criticized what they describe as unequal arrangements that would see Kenya host a facility intended for foreign evacuees.

The legal challenge against the project remains before the court, which will determine whether the facility can proceed once the substantive petition is heard.

The latest figures marked an increase from 933 confirmed cases and 245 deaths reported a day earlier, according to government data.

Growing concern has centered on Kigonze camp in Bunia, the epicenter of the outbreak, where at least 30 people have died since early May. Camp officials and humanitarian workers said the death rate was unprecedented and raised fears that Ebola may be spreading rapidly among displaced populations living in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions.

Kigonze hosts more than 15,000 residents and is located in Ituri province, which accounts for more than 90 percent of the country’s confirmed Ebola infections. Eastern Congo is home to more than five million displaced people, many of whom have fled years of armed conflict and insecurity.

Camp spokesperson Desire Grodya Bapi told Reuters that such a concentration of deaths had never previously been recorded at the site, which normally reports only a handful of deaths each month. Residents and aid workers described victims suffering symptoms commonly associated with Ebola, including fever, headaches and vomiting.

Health officials faced additional challenges because many families initially refused testing of both living patients and deceased relatives. Aid workers said resistance to medical intervention delayed efforts to determine the exact causes of death and complicated disease surveillance.

According to camp officials and humanitarian sources, samples collected from several victims tested positive for Ebola. Footage verified by Reuters showed health teams wearing protective suits disinfecting bodies and preparing coffins while grieving relatives gathered nearby.

The outbreak was officially declared on May 15, although officials said infections and deaths had begun earlier in the month.

Humanitarian organizations warned that deteriorating sanitation infrastructure and funding shortfalls may be contributing to the outbreak’s severity. Several aid agencies said reductions in international support for water, sanitation and hygiene programs have left vulnerable communities more exposed to infectious diseases.

United Nations data indicate that funding for water and sanitation services in Congo fell sharply between 2024 and 2025, while this year’s humanitarian appeal remains significantly underfunded. Aid groups said projects providing clean water access, handwashing facilities and public toilets have been scaled back or discontinued in several Ebola-affected regions.

Conditions inside Kigonze camp remain particularly challenging. Families often share cramped shelters, sanitation facilities are insufficient, and overflowing latrines have become a persistent problem, according to camp representatives and aid workers.

Humanitarian agencies noted that the United States has historically been one of the largest contributors to water and sanitation programs in Congo. However, several organizations reported that U.S.-funded projects serving displaced populations in Ebola-affected provinces have been reduced following recent funding cuts.

The worsening outbreak has heightened concerns among health officials that delayed testing, population displacement and inadequate sanitation could accelerate transmission in one of the world’s most vulnerable humanitarian settings.

Uganda’s Health Ministry said the country’s response to the outbreak had been effective, with two deaths recorded among 19 confirmed cases since the alert was raised after cases emerged in neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo in mid-May.

“While we appreciate the need for vigilance, blanket restrictions undermine confidence in countries that report outbreaks openly, and are not commensurate with the actual risk,” Diana Atwine, permanent secretary at Uganda’s Health Ministry, said.

The restrictions were imposed by countries including the United States, Canada and the United Arab Emirates on travelers from Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighboring South Sudan.

Most of Uganda’s confirmed cases involved Congolese nationals who crossed the border from the Democratic Republic of Congo, where more than 676 cases have been reported and 136 deaths recorded since May 15.

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus praised Uganda’s response during a visit to the country, while the UN health agency warned that the outbreak in Congo was spreading to new areas.

The outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, a form for which there is currently no vaccine or specific treatment. The virus spreads through close contact with infected bodily fluids and has caused thousands of deaths across Africa over recent decades.

Congo said on Thursday that Ebola had reached three new health zones, bringing the outbreak total to 676 confirmed cases and 136 deaths. The outbreak has also crossed into neighboring Uganda.

“There are still many blind spots in some areas that are high risk,” Olivier le Polain, a WHO epidemiologist based in Beni, eastern Congo, said.

Le Polain said surveillance systems needed to be strengthened in affected regions, adding that a shortage of isolation beds remained a major challenge. Only 250 beds were available across the three affected provinces, he said.

The outbreak involves the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there is currently no approved treatment or vaccine. Health workers said the disease went undetected for weeks, leaving responders struggling to contain its spread.

The WHO has not yet issued projections on the possible scale of the outbreak, Le Polain said.

The warning came after the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the outbreak could potentially reach levels comparable to the 2014-2016 Ebola epidemic in West Africa, which killed more than 11,000 people.

Health officials said efforts to control the current outbreak are being complicated by limited medical resources and challenges in identifying cases early.

Health authorities reported 550 confirmed cases as of Sunday, including 101 deaths and 19 recoveries, according to the latest situation update released late Monday. The outbreak was officially declared on May 15.

The vast majority of infections have been recorded in Ituri province, which accounts for more than 90 percent of confirmed cases. Additional cases have been identified in North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, while the virus has also crossed into neighboring Uganda.

Officials believe the true number of infections may be higher because the outbreak was detected weeks after transmission had already begun. Response efforts have been further complicated by the absence of an approved vaccine or treatment for the strain responsible for the current outbreak.

The outbreak has been linked to the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus, for which no approved vaccine or therapeutic treatment currently exists. This differs from the Zaire strain, which was responsible for most of Congo’s previous Ebola outbreaks and for which vaccines and treatments have been developed.

Authorities said the sharp increase in confirmed infections partly reflects expanded diagnostic capacity, which has enabled laboratories to process a backlog of previously collected samples.

Health workers operating in affected areas continue to face significant obstacles. Medical teams have been attacked on multiple occasions by residents frustrated by the outbreak response, while persistent skepticism among some communities has complicated surveillance and containment efforts.

Security concerns remain a major challenge across eastern Congo, where numerous armed groups continue to operate. Ongoing violence has limited access to several affected communities and disrupted disease-monitoring activities.

The World Health Organization said Monday that insecurity is restricting access for response teams, hindering surveillance operations and increasing the risk that new chains of transmission could go undetected.

The agency said the attacks on health personnel underscore the difficulties of responding to a public health emergency in conflict-affected areas and highlighted the importance of cooperation with local leaders and communities.

Eastern Congo has experienced repeated outbreaks of Ebola over the past decade, but health officials warn that the combination of armed conflict, delayed detection and the lack of approved medical countermeasures for the Bundibugyo strain presents a particularly complex challenge for containment efforts.

Long queues of trucks carrying perishable goods such as plantains and fish have been stranded at the border, with many traders fearing their products will spoil before reaching markets.

Ugandan authorities tightened restrictions after Congo’s Ebola outbreak in Ituri Province worsened. While emergency and humanitarian traffic is still allowed, cargo movement has slowed significantly.

Officials say the measures are necessary to stop cross-border transmission of Ebola. Uganda has already recorded 15 confirmed Ebola cases linked to the outbreak in neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Local businesses around the busy Mpondwe Border Post have been hit hard, with traders reporting spoiled goods, reduced income, and growing uncertainty.

The World Health Organization has warned that neighboring countries face a high risk of infection but generally discourages border closures, emphasizing surveillance and health measures instead.

Authorities say further restrictions may be introduced if the outbreak continues to spread.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said on Wednesday that the country’s specialized treatment network remains ready to respond to the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where the World Health Organization has reported 344 confirmed cases and 60 deaths.

The issue has gained prominence after the U.S. State Department said American citizens exposed to Ebola but not showing symptoms would be quarantined at a facility under construction at Kenya’s Laikipia Air Base. The department has also pledged to prevent travelers infected with Ebola from entering the United States.

Public health specialists have increasingly urged the U.S. government to bring infected Americans back to the United States for treatment rather than relying on overseas facilities. Opposition to the Kenyan quarantine center has intensified following protests that resulted in at least two deaths, while a Kenyan court has ordered construction work halted.

The United States invested heavily in Ebola preparedness after the 2014 West African outbreak, spending hundreds of millions of dollars to strengthen treatment capacity and establish a national network of specialized facilities capable of handling highly contagious pathogens.

Reuters contacted the 13 hospitals and universities participating in the National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center network. Nine confirmed they are currently prepared to receive and treat patients exposed to Ebola.

The network includes institutions such as the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Emory University in Atlanta, Bellevue Hospital in New York and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Four institutions, including Emory, did not respond to requests for comment.

“The United States’ investment in preparedness remains a critical component of national health security,” HHS spokesperson Emily Hilliard said, adding that participating hospitals are equipped to evaluate, isolate and treat patients with high-consequence infectious diseases while supporting broader outbreak response efforts.

Under federal requirements, designated treatment centers must be capable of caring for at least two patients exposed to contagious viral hemorrhagic fevers such as Ebola. Facilities are required to conduct quarterly training exercises, maintain laboratory testing capabilities and stock protective equipment.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has dozens of personnel deployed in the DRC and has said members of the U.S. Public Health Service Corps could be sent to support operations at the proposed Kenyan facility. American healthcare workers and aid personnel also continue to serve in the region through international relief organizations.

Several healthcare officials, including former CDC leaders, argued in an open letter this week that medical evacuation to established U.S. treatment centers would pose fewer risks than housing exposed Americans at a newly constructed overseas quarantine site.

A former CDC official familiar with the response effort said concerns surrounding the Kenya plan could complicate efforts to recruit American personnel for outbreak response missions.

The official said some prospective volunteers fear they could be left overseas if exposed to the virus, potentially undermining confidence in government support for public health workers deployed to epidemic zones.

practice of medically repatriating citizens exposed to or infected with dangerous infectious diseases abroad.The administration announced last week that it was establishing a quarantine facility in Kenya for U.S. citizens exposed to Ebola during the ongoing outbreak affecting eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. Under the plan, Americans who develop symptoms would not be returned to the United States but instead transferred to a third country for treatment as Washington seeks to prevent Ebola cases from entering U.S. territory.

The health officials said the proposal raises “profound clinical, ethical, operational, and legal concerns,” warning that it could discourage healthcare workers and emergency responders from participating in outbreak-control missions in affected regions.They also expressed concern that resources would be diverted toward creating temporary quarantine, isolation and treatment infrastructure overseas rather than supporting efforts to contain the disease at its source.

According to the letter, such a shift could weaken already strained outbreak response operations and complicate international public health coordination.The administration’s plan has also generated opposition in Kenya, where concerns have been raised about the potential public health implications of hosting a quarantine center for foreign nationals exposed to Ebola.

A Kenyan court has temporarily suspended plans to establish the facility following a legal challenge arguing that the project could pose risks to public health. The ruling places the future of the proposed site in doubt as legal proceedings continue.The dispute highlights growing tensions between domestic disease-control priorities and international public health practices as governments seek to manage cross-border infectious disease threats while balancing political, logistical and medical considerations.

The newly identified cases include a Ugandan driver who transported the country’s first confirmed Ebola patient and a healthcare worker who was exposed to the virus while caring for the same individual, the ministry said in a statement.

A Congolese woman was also confirmed to have contracted the disease, bringing the cumulative number of confirmed infections to five.

Health authorities did not immediately provide additional details on the conditions of the patients or whether further contacts were being monitored. The latest infections underscore the risks faced by frontline medical personnel and individuals who come into close contact with infected patients during outbreak investigations.

Uganda has previously experienced several Ebola outbreaks and has developed response mechanisms that include contact tracing, patient isolation and public health surveillance aimed at limiting transmission.

The confirmation of additional cases is likely to heighten monitoring efforts by health officials as they seek to prevent wider community spread and identify potential chains of transmission linked to the initial patient.

Ebola is a severe viral hemorrhagic disease transmitted through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected individuals or contaminated materials. Outbreaks require rapid detection and containment measures to prevent further spread.

The attack occurred in Rwampara, near the epicenter of the outbreak in Ituri Province, where local youths stormed and burned parts of a treatment facility after a man believed to have died from Ebola was denied a traditional funeral, according to witnesses and police officials.

Authorities said the confrontation stemmed from public resistance to emergency burial protocols designed to prevent transmission of the highly contagious virus.

Under outbreak regulations, suspected Ebola victims must be buried by trained teams because bodies can remain infectious and contribute to further spread.Deputy Senior Commissioner Jean Claude Mukendi, head of public security in Ituri Province, said relatives and friends of the deceased attempted to take the body home despite official restrictions. Police intervened but were unable to prevent the unrest.

Witnesses reported that aid workers evacuated the facility as protesters entered the center and set fire to equipment and structures. Humanitarian organization ALIMA, which operates at the site, later said calm had been restored and medical teams had resumed their work.

The incident highlights the growing challenges facing Congolese authorities and international aid agencies as they confront an outbreak that the World Health Organization has designated a public health emergency of international concern.Health officials reported 671 suspected cases and 160 suspected deaths across two provinces as of Thursday.

The outbreak has also crossed borders, with neighboring Uganda reporting cases, including at least one death.The WHO and regional health authorities have warned that the true scale of the outbreak is likely significantly larger than official figures indicate. Surveillance efforts are continuing as investigators seek to identify additional infections and trace transmission chains.

The outbreak is centered in Ituri Province, a region affected by chronic insecurity, weak healthcare infrastructure and large-scale population displacement. More than 920,000 internally displaced people are living in the province, according to United Nations estimates, complicating disease surveillance and response efforts.

Health experts say the Bundibugyo strain responsible for the outbreak presents additional challenges because no approved vaccine or specific treatment is currently available. Officials estimate it could take at least six to nine months before a vaccine becomes available.The virus has now spread beyond Ituri and North Kivu provinces.

On Thursday, authorities reported the first confirmed cases in South Kivu Province, including a death near the city of Bukavu, approximately 500 kilometers south of the outbreak’s center.The disease circulated undetected for weeks after the first known fatality in late April, partly because initial investigations focused on more common Ebola strains previously seen in the country.

Health authorities have yet to identify the outbreak’s first infected patient.The escalating crisis has begun to affect international travel and regional events. India and the African Union announced the postponement of the India-Africa Forum Summit scheduled for next week in New Delhi, citing the evolving health situation in parts of Africa.

The United States has also imposed screening measures and travel restrictions for individuals recently arriving from affected countries.

Ebola spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids and can cause fever, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain and severe hemorrhagic symptoms.

Public health officials say rapid detection, isolation and community cooperation remain critical to containing the outbreak.