The Trump administration is refusing to repatriate Americans exposed to Ebola amid the outbreak still raging in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. But the plan to send American citizens to Kenya has hit a roadblock and officials are still struggling to find other countries that can accept them.
Earlier this week, it was revealed that the administration had hatched a plan to set up a makeshift quarantine and treatment center in Kenya, instead of bringing its citizens home to receive high-quality care in specialized facilities built for this purpose. According to initial plans, the American facility would be in Laikipia, about 120 miles north of Nairobi, where the United States has an air base. Initially, the plan was to establish a 50-bed quarantine facility that was expected to be operational today, May 29. Then, in a second state, officials would set up isolation and biocontainment units to house Americans infected with the virus.
But after a series of events Thursday and Friday, that plan has stalled. The Katiba Institute, which advocates for the constitutional rights of Kenyans, filed the petition on Thursday challenging the establishment of the quarantine and treatment facility.
“The secret and unilateral establishment of an Ebola quarantine facility raises serious constitutional concerns regarding the rights to life, health, fair administrative action, public participation and parliamentary oversight.” Katiba said in a statement posted on social media..
Katiba seeks the government’s preparedness plan to prevent or respond to the possible spread of the Ebola virus, which is not present in Kenya. The institute is also seeking disclosure of the terms of any agreement between Kenya and the United States regarding the facility. “At its core, the case is about preserving constitutional accountability, protecting public health and ensuring that no government puts convenience before the lives and safety of the Kenyan people,” Katiba said.
