Why plans to visit US-backed Ebola in Laikipia were postponed

Health workers at a new Ebola treatment centre in Bunia, DR Congo, on May 31, 2026. [AFP]

The planned visit to the US-supported Ebola quarantine facility at Laikipia airbase by legislators has been postponed.

The parliamentary health committee had planned to visit the facility today (today).

Sources hinted to The Standard that the mission has since been aborted.

“It has been pushed,” said a source.

However, reasons for the postponed visit remain scanty, according to sources, who also requested to remain anonymous because of the sensitivity of the matter.

Dates for when the visit is rescheduled also remain unknown.

Efforts by The Standard to get clarity from clerks also revealed scanty information about the visit.

“A lot of people have been calling us to ask about the visit. It is, however, not in parliamentary schedules,” said a clerk, who also asked to remain anonymous.

Construction and operationalisation of the facility were halted by Kenya’s High Court, following wrangling about its establishment.

Health Cabinet Secretary (CS) Aden Duale told the court on June 23, 2026, that he ordered the construction of the facility halted.

This is after he had been found guilty of contempt of court, after he failed to observe suspension orders that had earlier been issued by the court.

By the time of issuance of the order was issued, a satellite image by Reuters showed erected tents and vehicles at the facility site.

Reuters reported that at least 20 flights carrying medical equipment and specialised staff landed at the airbase in early June.

The planes allegedly brought in technical equipment and dozens of physicians, engineers, laboratory experts and construction workers.

The flight tracking service, according to the publication, showed that at least six military aircraft, including C-130 and C-17 transport planes, had landed in Nanyuki since May 24, with three landing after the court order.

Postponed visit to the facility happens at a time scientists say there is a need for the Kenyan Government to mop up Kenyan borders and ports.

So far, at least 1,926 cases of Ebola, caused by Bundibugyo virus, have been confirmed in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), with 702 deaths.

Yesterday, DRC’s public health institute announced that the Ebola outbreak had spread to two more provinces, Haut-Uele and Tshopo.

The virus was a primary epicentre in Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu Provinces.

Uganda and France have also reported isolated cases linked to travel from DRC.

Back in Kenya, experts urge the government to revamp her preprepared, to avoid a spill of cases that have domiciled in Uganda and DRC.

Prof Matilu Mwau, a senior researcher at the Kenya Medical Research Institute, said there is a need to intensify screening at the border, including points of entry.

Clear communication, while revamping preparedness and preventive measures, according to Prof Mwau, is also key.

“We need to go beyond checking temperatures and ask the right questions, so that we can prevent any case here,” Prof Matilu told The Standard in an interview.

“We do not need to ask individuals coming to the country if they have travelled to Congo. Congo is a huge country; we need to be specific, ask about the region, villages and also get detailed information about their interaction. For example, if they met with anyone who was symptomatic, including asymptomatic ones,” added Matilu.

According to the Ministry of Health, there are 23 isolation centres, among them the Laikipia Airbase one.

Screening is also reported to be ongoing at border points, including ports.

Earlier, experts raised a concern over Kenya’s Ebola response capacity.

Prof Omu Anzala, a virologist at the University of Nairobi, said Kenyan must demonstrate readiness in isolation infrastructure, laboratory capacity, trained personnel, surveillance systems and emergency logistics.

Further, Anzala questioned the kind of screening being done at the border points.

“The question is not whether we have a health system. Are border screening systems effective? Do we have enough quarantine facilities? Are health workers trained to respond? Questioned Anzala.

Further, Prof Anzala warned that a single Ebola case can quickly trigger a public health emergency due to the extensive contact tracing required to contain transmission.

"If we start having confirmed Ebola cases and multiple contacts, how equipped are we to quarantine, monitor and manage them? One Ebola case is already one too many, and even the best hospital in Nairobi won't help stop the spread,” observes the researcher.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that most of the new Ebola cases reported in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo are community spread.

The cases are not linked to known patients, a move that suggests an outbreak, two to four times higher than what is documented.