Fresh protests erupt in Nanyuki over proposed Ebola facility

Residents of Nanyuki town protest planned establishment of an Ebola quarantine facility /SCREENGRAB

Angry residents of Nanyuki poured into the streets for another round of demonstrations on Tuesday, maintaining pressure on the government to abandon plans for a U.S-backed Ebola quarantine facility in the area.

Police were deployed in force across the area as protesters, some carrying Kenyan flags and others donning personal protective equipment in a pointed show of symbolism, marched through the town centre.

The mood quickly turned tense as videos circulating on social media showed officers lobbing tear gas canisters into the crowd, sparking running battles between police and demonstrators.

Protesters accused police of responding with unnecessary force to what they insisted were lawful, peaceful gatherings.

"We are peaceful and just want to be heard,” a protester shouted.

The proposed facility, a 50-bed quarantine unit to be built on an air force base in Nanyuki, is intended to house American nationals exposed to the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo or neighbouring Uganda.

The project has become a flashpoint for public anger, with many Kenyans accusing Washington of effectively offloading the health burden and biosafety risk of treating its own citizens onto Kenyan soil.

"Why establish a quarantine facility in Kenya while you can have it in the DRC where there is the outbreak of the disease?" said a protester speaking to journalists at the demonstrations.

The protests come amid an ongoing legal battle over the facility's legitimacy.

High Court Judge Patricia Nyaundi last week issued a temporary injunction barring the government from taking any steps to build or commence operations at the Nanyuki site for three weeks, following a lawsuit filed by a legal advocacy group.

The court also ordered the government to make public the details of its agreement with Washington over the facility.

Despite the court order, US military aircraft have continued to land in Kenya in recent days, ferrying in staff and equipment, according to a US official and diplomatic sources. 

The continued activity has deepened suspicions among protesters that construction is proceeding regardless of the legal stay.

The earlier round of protests proved deadly, with two people killed during demonstrations that preceded last week's court ruling.

The quarantine facility is a direct response to an active Ebola outbreak in eastern DRC involving the rare Bundibugyo strain of the virus.

The epidemic has recorded more than 900 suspected cases and over 220 suspected deaths, with several cases already spilling across the border into Uganda — raising alarm about further regional spread.

President Donald Trump's administration has stated it "cannot and will not allow" any Ebola cases to enter the United States, a sharp departure from the approach taken during the 2014–2016 West Africa outbreak, when several infected American citizens were repatriated and treated on US soil.