Kenya's Health Minister Aden Duale has halted the construction of a controversial US‑funded Ebola quarantine facility in the country a day after he was found in contempt of court for ignoring a judge's ruling.
Appearing in court on Tuesday, Duale apologised and said he had "directed the immediate and complete cessation" of building work at a military base in the town of Nanyuki.
A High Court order last month required the pause of the 50‑bed isolation centre until a rights group case could be heard, but a judge allowed the project to continue after Duale disregarded the ruling.
The quarantine facility is intended for US citizens suspected of contracting Ebola in the current outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
High Court Judge Patricia Nyaundi accepted Duale's apology, discharged him with a stern warning, and rejected lawyers’ demands to impose a 15‑month custodial sentence.
Duale said both the Kenyan and US governments had agreed to suspend the proposed collaboration following the court order.
Satellite imagery released by BBC Verify shows additional tents, tarmac, and a paved dirt road around the site, indicating construction had advanced.
The plan sparked angry protests in Nanyuki, where police attempts to disperse demonstrators resulted in three deaths, including 17‑year‑old schoolboy Sylvester Muigai Ndungú.
Rights group Katiba Institute warned the arrangement posed “grave and imminent risks” to public health, but Duale maintained decisions were based on science and strategic interventions.
Kenya’s President William Ruto defended the project, arguing a refusal to host the centre would be “inhuman” and urged politicians to avoid politicising Ebola.
The US has pledged $13.5m to Kenya’s Ebola preparedness, part of a larger $112m commitment to the regional response as the outbreak continues in the DRC and Uganda.
