President William Ruto has defended the planned US-backed Ebola quarantine facility at Laikipia Air Base, saying he personally approved it after a request from President Trump as part of a Ksh200 billion health cooperation deal. But residents in Nanyuki have taken to the streets, citing health risks, lack of public participation, and fears of tourism losses. Here is a full breakdown of both sides of the debate.
President William Ruto has come out strongly in defence of a controversial US-backed Ebola quarantine facility planned for Laikipia Air Base, dismissing public fears as misplaced and insisting that the project is a responsible step in safeguarding Kenya's public health preparedness. His remarks came a day after mass protests paralysed Nanyuki, with residents demanding that the government halt the establishment of the 50-bed facility near their community.
Ruto: Trump Personally Asked for Kenya's Support — And I Approved It
Speaking to journalists in Wajir on June 1 following the Madaraka Day celebrations, President Ruto confirmed that he personally greenlit the Laikipia Ebola facility following a direct request from US President Donald Trump. He framed the approval as an extension of a decades-long bilateral relationship, not a new or alarming development.
"When President Trump asked the government of Kenya to support them by having a centre in Laikipia Air Base, I gave the okay because it was an agreement and a partnership with friends who have walked with Kenya."
He went on to remind critics of the depth of American investment in Kenya's health sector over the years, pointing to decades of US government support in fighting HIV and AIDS and other infectious diseases — support he argued justifies the current cooperation.
The Laikipia Facility Is Not Unique — Kenya Already Has 23 Similar Ebola Units, Ruto Says
One of the President's key arguments was that the planned Laikipia Ebola quarantine centre is neither unprecedented nor exceptional. He disclosed that Kenya already operates 23 Ebola preparedness units across the country, making the Laikipia facility simply the latest addition to an existing national network.
Among the institutions he cited as already housing such units are Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi, the National Police Service Hospital in Nairobi, Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret, and Alupe Hospital in Busia — facilities that have been operating without public outcry.
Ruto also highlighted Kenya's existing Ebola surveillance infrastructure, noting that the country screens approximately 3,000 travellers every day at all ports of entry, with no confirmed Ebola case recorded so far. He added that land and air borders remain on heightened alert, with quarantine and isolation protocols already activated at a national level.
Kenya's DRC Exposure: Why Ruto Says the Country Cannot Afford to Be Unprepared
President Ruto made a pointed case for why Kenya has a direct national interest in Ebola preparedness, beyond its obligations to the United States. He highlighted the significant number of Kenyans — including military and civilian personnel — currently living and working in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where Ebola remains an active threat.
"We have security people serving in the Congo DRC. We have thousands upon thousands of Kenyans in DRC. If, for whatever reason, they were to become victims of Ebola, we would have a responsibility as a country to treat them. We would have a responsibility to our citizens to make sure that we take care of them."
He challenged critics to articulate what the alternative would be — essentially asking whether Kenya should simply choose not to prepare for a potential outbreak that could arrive through its own citizens returning from an active outbreak zone.
COVID-19 Parallel, KEMRI Vaccine Race, and the Ksh200 Billion Health Deal
To further contextualise the partnership, Ruto drew a comparison to a COVID-19 treatment facility established at the United Nations headquarters in Nairobi during the height of the pandemic in 2020, which served international patients and was similarly established through intergovernmental cooperation.
He also disclosed that researchers at the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) are actively working on an Ebola vaccine, joining the global race to find a solution before the virus spreads beyond current containment efforts.
Crucially, the President also revealed the financial dimension underpinning Kenya's cooperation with Washington. He said the country's support for the US is tied to a Ksh200 billion Health Cooperation Framework signed with the United States towards the end of last year — a deal designed to strengthen Kenya's health infrastructure over the long term and one that, he implied, makes the Laikipia facility a fair exchange within a much larger agreement.
Nanyuki Protests: What Laikipia Residents Are Objecting To
The President's defence of the facility came directly in response to what unfolded in Nanyuki on June 1, when residents took to the streets in large numbers to protest the planned quarantine centre, effectively bringing the town to a standstill.
The protesters raised several specific objections. They expressed fear that the presence of Ebola patients — or even the infrastructure associated with treating them — could expose nearby communities to infection risk in the event of a containment failure. They also pushed back against the principle of Kenya assuming health risks on behalf of foreign nationals, questioning why Laikipia communities should bear the burden of a facility intended to serve American interests.
A third major grievance was the complete absence of public participation before the project was approved. Residents argued that a decision of this magnitude — involving a highly infectious and deadly virus — should have gone through a transparent community consultation process, particularly given the proximity to residential areas and tourism zones.
On the economic front, protesters warned that the mere perception of Ebola risk in Laikipia could drive away tourists and trigger safari cancellations, dealing a serious blow to a local economy heavily dependent on the hospitality and wildlife tourism industries.
High Court Had Already Blocked the Facility — What Happens Next?
It is worth noting that prior to the President's remarks, the Kenyan High Court had issued orders blocking the establishment of the US-linked Ebola quarantine centre in Laikipia, following a legal challenge citing public health risk and constitutional concerns around the right to a clean environment and public participation. The government's response to those orders — and whether the facility will proceed, be relocated, or be restructured — remains a developing story to watch closely.
Bottom Line
The debate over the Laikipia Ebola quarantine facility has exposed a wider fault line between government-to-government diplomacy and community-level democratic accountability. President Ruto's case rests on Kenya's existing Ebola preparedness architecture, the DRC exposure risk, and the multibillion-shilling health deal with the US. His critics — both in the streets of Nanyuki and in the courts — are asking a different question: who gets to decide when a facility like this lands in your backyard?