Kenya Court Extends Suspension of U.S.-Funded Ebola Isolation Center at Laikipia Airbase Amid Protests and Government Defense

-funded Ebola isolation center at Laikipia Airbase and ordered the government to release full project details. The ruling came on Tuesday after the Law Society of Kenya and Katiba Institute filed suit. Two people were shot dead during protests in the nearby town of Nanyuki on Monday.

One victim was shot near the airbase during a demonstration and died after friends brought him to Nanyuki hospital. The second victim arrived at the same hospital already dead after soldiers transported the body. Circumstances surrounding both shootings remain unclear, and officials have issued no public comment.

Hundreds of demonstrators marched through Nanyuki streets, blocked roads, and burned tires on Monday. Police responded with tear gas to disperse the crowds. President William Ruto addressed the plan publicly for the first time on Monday evening.

"When President Trump asked Kenya to support them by having a centre in Laikipia Airbase I gave the ok because it was an agreement with friends who have walked with Kenya for 30, 40 years," he said. Ruto stated that Kenya had deployed every available measure to protect the country from Ebola and urged politicians to avoid "reckless" talk on the issue.

Ruto described the Laikipia site as one of 24 facilities established under a bilateral health partnership and said the centers would also serve Kenyans if an outbreak occurred inside the country.

U.S. government intends to commit $13 million to the project. The High Court first ordered a halt to the facility's opening on Friday. Military aircraft have continued to arrive and depart from Laikipia Airbase despite the order.

Kenya has recorded no Ebola cases to date. The Law Society of Kenya and Katiba Institute argued that Kenya's health system lacks the capacity to manage foreign patients and cited risks to local populations. Local health workers and residents near the site have raised similar concerns about infection-control standards and added strain on existing medical resources.

U.S. citizens exposed to Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo prompted the facility plan. No date has been set for the next court hearing, and government officials have not stated whether they will revise the plan or seek an alternative location.