Ebola outbreak a major concern for Kenya, Ruto tells international community

Speaking in Finland, President Ruto continued the government’s defence of the establishment of an Ebola containment facility in Laikipia with support from the United States.

This comes a day after deadly clashes between protesters and police left one person dead during demonstrations opposing the quarantine facility.

Thirty-five people arrested during the protests were later released on a cash bail of Ksh.5,000 each.

Others who were caught between the protesters and police are still nursing injuries sustained during the chaos and are now demanding justice.

Meanwhile, the identity of the second person killed during the protests remains unknown.

Even as opposition to the quarantine facility persists, President Ruto maintained that the government’s decision to construct the facility at the Laikipia airbase was necessary due to the threat posed by Ebola in the region.

The President said the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and its spread into neighbouring Uganda, remains a major source of concern for Kenya and its citizens.

“We have support from different countries. We have support from the United States to manage this situation. They have also offered to set up one of the 23 isolation units, and we are working together to make sure that we manage this situation,” stated Ruto.

The President said Kenya has enhanced surveillance and screening at border points and has already established more than 20 centres ready to handle any Ebola cases should they arise.

“And as a responsible nation, we took very early steps to make sure that we organise ourselves and prepare ourselves to take head-on whatever situations that would come our way with respect to this pandemic,” he added.

Ruto maintained that while Kenya remains Ebola-free, the government is acting proactively because of the country’s close ties with the epicentre of the outbreak.

“And just for context, we have thousands of Kenyans in eastern DRC. We have soldiers in eastern DRC and it is natural that for us as a nation, we need to prepare ourselves,” stated the President.

The President’s remarks come as opposition to the Laikipia facility continues into a second week of protests.