US Foreign Affairs Committee faults Trump over plan to treat Ebola patients in Kenya

In statement on X, the committee said the United States already has specialised facilities capable of safely treating Ebola patients and should therefore repatriate affected Americans rather than establish treatment centres abroad.

“Our government has a responsibility to help Americans abroad. The U.S. already has domestic facilities specifically designed to safely care for Ebola patients. The Trump administration should bring Americans home and help them, not outsource that responsibility to a foreign government,” the committee stated.

The lawmakers further pointed out what they termed a contradiction in Washington’s approach, noting that the Trump administration had previously cut health funding to Kenya while simultaneously expecting the country to host American Ebola patients.

“Both governments should heed the concerns of Kenyan civil society,” the committee added.

The remarks come days after the High Court in Kenya suspended plans by the Trump administration to establish a temporary Ebola quarantine and treatment facility at Laikipia Airbase.

The proposed facility, which was to be constructed by the U.S. military, is intended to isolate and treat Americans exposed to or infected with Ebola amid the escalating outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The field hospital was expected to accommodate up to 50 patients.

The court issued conservatory orders halting the project on Friday, citing concerns over a potential threat to life. The ruling came on the same day U.S. officials announced that the facility was set to begin operations.

Despite the court order, reports by CNN indicated that some Americans had already arrived at Laikipia Airbase ahead of the facility’s operationalisation.

The developments have triggered protests in Nanyuki, where hundreds of residents and youth groups took to the streets on Monday to oppose the establishment of the quarantine centre.

The demonstrators marched through major streets carrying placards and chanting anti-facility slogans, expressing fears over possible health risks linked to hosting an Ebola treatment centre within the area.

Residents demanded that the government relocate the proposed facility, insisting that Laikipia was not a suitable location for such a high-risk medical operation.