Kenya High Court Finds Health Minister in Contempt, Orders Sentencing Over Ebola Facility

Kenya’s High Court ruled Monday that Health Minister Aden Duale is in contempt of court for failing to stop construction of a 50-bed Ebola quarantine facility at Laikipia Air Base near Nanyuki. The facility is intended for U.S. citizens suspected of contracting the virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo outbreak.

Lady Justice Patricia Nyaundi stated that Duale knew all construction at the Nanyuki site had to stop yet allowed it to continue. She ruled that the government could not avoid compliance by recasting the work and that a court order is a command to be obeyed, not an invitation to ingenuity. The court ordered Duale to appear Tuesday for sentencing.

Contempt of court in Kenya carries a maximum penalty of 200,000 shillings or six months in jail. The case was filed by the Law Society of Kenya and the Katiba Institute after the court issued a suspension order on May 29. Residents near the base reported seeing U.S.

Military aircraft landing after that date. President William Ruto said he received a request from the U.S. to establish the centre and that refusal would be inhuman. -Kenya partnership in health and security.

Aden Duale told parliament the government will not stop the facility and stated it would benefit both Kenyans and international partners. The health ministry said any ongoing construction was being done solely by the Kenyan government in the national interest. The U.S.

Embassy in Kenya said the centre posed no risk to locals and that it was working with the Kenyan government to resolve objections. Washington intends to provide $13.5 million in aid for Kenya’s Ebola preparedness as part of a $112 million regional commitment. Protests against the facility have occurred in Nanyuki, about 140 km north of Nairobi.