President William Ruto has strongly backed Kenya’s decision to host a US-funded Ebola preparedness facility in Laikipia, arguing that turning it down would amount to negligence in the face of growing regional health threats.
He emphasized that Kenya’s cooperation with the United States in the health sector has been long-standing and backed by substantial financial support, saying the latest initiative should be viewed as part of that broader partnership.
“I can tell you without fear of any contradiction, and I can look everybody in the eye and tell you we are doing the right thing,” President Ruto said.
“It would be the most unfortunate if, on one request by the Americans to set up a facility at their cost, we would refuse, we would look very inhuman,” he added.
The planned project, valued at about Ksh.1.7 billion, is expected to support the establishment of a 50-bed quarantine and isolation centre within a Kenya Defence Forces base in Laikipia.
The facility is designed to improve Kenya’s readiness to detect, isolate and manage potential Ebola cases while strengthening wider regional surveillance systems.
Despite government assurances, the proposal has sparked public concern, with critics questioning the safety of hosting individuals potentially exposed to the virus in a country that has not reported any confirmed cases.
Others have also raised issues around transparency, pointing out that details of the arrangement initially surfaced through international media reporting before official communication locally.
The US Embassy in Nairobi has since moved to calm fears, maintaining that the project poses no risk to surrounding communities and will operate under strict health safeguards.
“The bio-isolation facility in Laikipia is part of a holistic response to prevent spread of the disease and lessen health risks for the region as a whole, it does not pose risk to nearby communities,” the Embassy said.
Even as debate continues, the government maintains that the facility forms part of a wider preparedness strategy aimed at strengthening Kenya’s ability to respond swiftly to potential outbreaks and protect public health.
