Kenya health minister held in contempt over planned Ebola facility
A High Court judge said Aden Duale defied orders halting work on a US-backed quarantine site for Americans exposed to Ebola.
By Daniel Okafor · Business Editor
3 min read
Kenya’s High Court has found Health Minister Aden Duale in contempt over construction plans for a US-backed Ebola quarantine facility, Reuters and AFP reported. The ruling matters because the proposed site has drawn public protests in a country that has not recorded any Ebola infections in the current regional outbreak.
Justice Patricia Nyaundi Mande said Monday that Duale had commissioned work at the central Kenya site despite several court orders in late May and early June requiring activity there to stop, according to Reuters. “The Court cannot permit its orders to be rendered hollow,” the judge wrote, Reuters reported.
The facility was planned at Laikipia Air Base near Nanyuki, according to Reuters and AFP. It was intended to hold United States nationals who had been exposed to Ebola during outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, the agencies reported.
The plan has triggered opposition from residents, doctors and healthcare workers, according to AFP and Reuters. Critics have objected to the prospect of bringing infected people into Kenya and have questioned the government’s acceptance of a $13.5 million Ebola preparedness contribution from the United States, the agencies reported.
President William Ruto defended the decision, saying he “gave the okay” because the plan was part of an agreement and partnership with longstanding allies, according to the reporting. Duale also told parliament earlier this month that the government “will not stop it,” despite the court rulings, Reuters and AFP reported.
Rights group challenged the project
The High Court halted construction after a complaint by the Katiba Institute, a Kenyan rights group, according to AFP and Reuters. The group argued that the project was being advanced in secrecy and without consultation.
Katiba Institute has sought details of the arrangement, including health and biosafety assessments, regulatory approvals and protocols for how the facility would operate, the agencies reported. The dispute has become a test of whether the government can move ahead with the project while the court considers legal challenges to it.
Duale is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday for mitigation and sentencing, according to Reuters and AFP. Contempt of court can carry a maximum penalty of a 200,000-shilling fine, about $1,500, and/or six months in jail, the agencies reported.
Regional outbreak raises concern
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo was confirmed in May, according to the World Health Organization. As of June 17, WHO figures cited by AFP and Reuters showed 896 confirmed cases and at least 232 deaths in DRC.
Uganda, which borders Kenya, has reported 19 confirmed cases and two deaths, according to the same reporting. At least 75 healthcare workers in DRC have contracted the virus, including 17 who died, Reuters and AFP reported.
Kenyan medical professionals have been among the strongest opponents of the Nanyuki plan, according to AFP and Reuters. They have argued that the facility could put strain on Kenya’s health system if Ebola were introduced into the country.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.