Hundreds of young people in the central Kenyan town of Nanyuki on Monday protested the establishment at Laikipia Airport of an Ebola quarantine center for US citizens affected by the virus.
The protest occurred two days after the High Court of Kenya suspended the establishment of the center and the arrival of any foreign patients pending the hearing of a case filed by the Kenya Bar Association and constitutional observers.
The two organizations cited Kenya’s weak health system as the reason for foreign Ebola patients not being quarantined in the country.
US officials said Thursday that the United States plans to send Americans infected with Ebola abroad to a new facility in Kenya instead of repatriating them. The leaders spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the administration’s plans. They said the facility will be located at Laikipia Air Base and will start operating with 50 quarantine beds by Friday.
On Monday, hundreds of young people marched to the airport gate, singing anti-Ebola songs.
Health Minister Aden Duale on Sunday said the quarantine center was for “everyone” and not just for US citizens.
