Kenyan president: US plan to build Ebola facility the 'right thing'
JOHANNESBURG - Kenyan President William Ruto on Thursday said his government was doing “the right thing” by allowing the United States to set up an Ebola quarantine facility in Kenya.
Satellite imagery seen by Reuters showed the U.S. government is moving ahead rapidly with setting up the facility at an air force base in central Kenya, despite protests and Kenyan court orders blocking it.
The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The tented facility in Nanyuki, a town in central Kenya, is due to host a 50-bed unit for Americans who might be exposed to the virus, which has infected hundreds in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the epicenter of the outbreak.
The outbreak has also spread to neighboring Uganda, which has reported 16 cases.
“I can tell you without fear of any contradiction, and I can look at everybody in the eye, ... and tell you we are doing the right thing,” Ruto told a press conference during his state visit to South Africa.
“It would be most unfortunate if on one request by the Americans to set up a facility at their cost, we would refuse, we would look very inhuman,” Ruto added.
Since May 27, a block of land totaling about 11 acres within the Laikipia Air Base has been cleared, according to satellite imagery seen by Reuters.
By June 4, a collection of connected white tents had been set up in the middle of the clearing, where tarmac appears to have been laid.
There are further structures, earth-moving equipment and other vehicles also visible in the cleared section, which lies to the east of the runway.
On Thursday, more flights landed at the air base, with people and heavy equipment on board, an eyewitness told Reuters.
At least two people were killed earlier this week in protests in Nanyuki against the base.
A Kenyan court first ordered work on the Ebola facility to be suspended on May 28. The U.S. embassy in Nairobi has said it is working with the Kenyan government to resolve any objections.
Additional reporting by Noor Ali, George Sargent and Seoyun Kang.
Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect.
This story was originally published June 4, 2026 at 11:16 AM.