Kenyan President Backs Trump's Ebola Facility Amid Protests

Kenyan President William Ruto has publicly confirmed that he authorized the establishment of a United States Ebola quarantine facility at Laikipia Air Base, a decision made in response to a direct request from U.S. President Donald Trump. Ruto defended the move on Monday night, June 1, 2026, emphasizing Kenya's decades-long partnership with the U.S. in public health, disease control, and medical research.

“

When President Trump asked the government of Kenya to support them by having a center in Laikipia Air Base, I gave the okay because it was an agreement and a partnership with friends who have walked with Kenya for 30-40 years.

"When President Trump asked the government of Kenya to support them by having a center in Laikipia Air Base, I gave the okay because it was an agreement and a partnership with friends who have walked with Kenya for 30-40 years," Ruto stated during a Media Roundtable Discussion in Wajir. He sought to allay fears, arguing that the facility is not an unusual arrangement given Kenya's extensive history of cooperation with American and international partners on major health challenges, including HIV/AIDS and COVID-19 vaccine research.

The President's remarks followed significant public opposition, with hundreds of residents and youths protesting outside the Laikipia Air Base in Nanyuki. Demonstrators attempted to breach the facility, leading to police deploying tear gas and live ammunition. The protests involved burning tires and setting up road barricades, disrupting parts of the town located about 200 kilometers north of Nairobi.

“

The American government has supported us. They have deployed huge resources in Kenya to work with us on HIV AIDS, to work with us on other diseases. They worked with us on Ebola.

Adding to the controversy, the Kenyan High Court had temporarily suspended the facility's establishment and operation pending a constitutional petition. Critics have voiced concerns about potential public health risks, transparency, and national sovereignty, questioning the necessity of such a facility in Kenya, especially with reports suggesting it would be used to quarantine potentially Ebola-exposed American citizens during the ongoing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

“

In fact, KEMRI was one of the institutions that worked on research on the vaccines for COVID-19 because we have a solid partnership with America and other partners, so the facility that is at Laikipia Air Base is not a facility different from all the other facilities that we have across Kenya.