NAIROBI, May 29 (Xinhua) -- The Kenyan government has stepped up surveillance and screening at all entry points to contain the spread of the Ebola virus, President William Ruto has said.
"As a key regional gateway, financial hub, and host to major international organizations, Kenya remains vigilant and committed to swift, coordinated action to protect regional health security following the Ebola outbreak in neighboring countries," Ruto said in a statement released on Thursday evening.
He said Kenya is working closely with regional and global institutions to strengthen emergency preparedness and response mechanisms aimed at safeguarding public health.
Ruto's remarks followed a high-level meeting in Nairobi with ambassadors, development partners, and multilateral agencies to brief stakeholders on Kenya's preparedness, review the regional situation, and mobilize collective action against the Ebola virus.
Ruto confirmed that surveillance and screening have been intensified across 26 entry points, adding that more than 58,000 travelers have been screened, with all suspected cases testing negative so far.
Additionally, 17 isolation centers have been designated nationwide, Ruto said, noting that the government is also mobilizing support with development partners and frontline response agencies, including the World Health Organization, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the United Nations system, to strengthen surveillance, emergency readiness, laboratory networks, and cross-border coordination in affected countries.
"We agreed on the importance of cooperation and avoiding isolationism, recognizing that public health threats do not respect borders and require coordinated regional and global action," Ruto said.
Ruto pledged that Kenya would act transparently, responsibly, and decisively to protect lives and strengthen global health security.
To support this effort, he said his government will establish a national response committee to coordinate a whole-of-government approach, enhance public awareness, and mobilize the financial and technical resources needed to manage any potential Ebola outbreak.
The meeting with foreign diplomats took place as a Kenyan court temporarily suspended U.S. plans to build an Ebola quarantine facility in Kenya.
The lawsuit, filed by civil society organization Katiba Institute, seeks to block the government from establishing or permitting any foreign-linked Ebola quarantine, isolation, or treatment facility on Kenyan soil.
Katiba Institute asked the court to declare the matter urgent and issue conservatory orders halting any plans to establish, operationalize, or approve Ebola-related facilities in Kenya until the case is fully heard and determined.
Consequently, the court barred the government from admitting or facilitating the entry of any Ebola-exposed or infected individuals into the country pending the final hearing and determination of the case.
The planned U.S. Ebola quarantine and care facility at Laikipia Air Base in central Kenya has also drawn widespread criticism from local doctors, legal organizations, and members of the public.
Critics, including the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union and the Law Society of Kenya, argue that importing asymptomatic, high-risk U.S. citizens exposed to the virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo would unnecessarily endanger a country that currently has no Ebola cases.
Opponents also argue that the arrangement creates a double standard by protecting the U.S. population while exposing Kenyans to biosecurity risks.
The controversy comes amid reports that Kenya initially granted written approval within a week for the establishment of the 50-bed facility, which could later be expanded to 250 beds, to allow the United States to isolate its citizens exposed to the Ebola outbreak in the DRC. ■