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Kenyan high court suspends plan for US Ebola quarantine facility in Kenya

FILE PHOTO: World Health Organization's (WHO) workers mobilise 4.7 tonnes of essential medical supplies and emergency kits to support the affected regions in response to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo from the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi, Kenya May 18, 2026.  World Health Organization/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: World Health Organization's (WHO) workers mobilise 4.7 tonnes of essential medical supplies and emergency kits to support the affected regions in response to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo from the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi, Kenya May 18, 2026. World Health Organization/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Reuters

NAIROBI - A Kenyan high court has ordered the temporary suspension of plans for the United States to set up an Ebola quarantine facility in the country.

High Court Judge Patricia Nyaundi said in her orders late on Thursday that Kenya was also not allowed to admit anyone exposed to or infected by Ebola under the planned agreement with the United States, until a case challenging the deal was heard and determined.

On Thursday, the White House said the U.S. was setting up a facility in Kenya to quarantine U.S. citizens who had been exposed to Ebola, and would not bring them home if they develop symptoms, but instead send them to a third country.

Kenya rights group Katiba Institute went to court on Thursday to challenge the plan.

"The secretive, unilateral establishment of an Ebola quarantine facility raises grave constitutional concerns regarding the rights to life, health, fair administrative action, public participation, and parliamentary oversight," the rights group said.

The next hearing for the case will be on June 2, Nyaundi said in her order.

(Reporting by Humphrey Malalo; Writing by George ObulutsaEditing by Ros Russell)

Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect

This story was originally published May 28, 2026 at 11:32 PM.

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