Kenyan Court Blocks US Plan to Open Ebola Quarantine Center for Americans

Here's the situation: there's an active and growing Ebola outbreak in Central Africa — specifically in the Democratic Republic of Congo — and the Trump administration quietly set up a 50-bed quarantine facility on a Kenyan air base to handle Americans who might get exposed. A Kenyan court just hit the brakes on the whole thing.

The outbreak in Central Africa has produced more than 900 suspected cases and over 220 suspected deaths, and authorities fear the real numbers may be significantly higher.

The facility on Laikipia Air Base — about 124 miles from Nairobi — was being designed to give Americans quick access to care after possible exposure, without the risks of a lengthy flight back to the U.S. Senior U.S. officials said the 50-bed unit would serve Americans who had been exposed to the virus but were still asymptomatic, and the plan was to send patients who actually developed symptoms onward to European countries for further care.

But Kenya wasn't exactly thrilled about becoming America's Ebola waiting room. Kenyan officials had initially approved the plan, but local backlash quickly spurred a legal challenge, and under the court's ruling, the facility must remain closed until the case is heard. Kenyan High Court Judge Patricia Nyaundi issued the order after a challenge brought by the Katiba Institute, a legal advocacy group.

The Katiba Institute cited a lack of transparency and public participation, and argued that "constitutional recklessness" had implications for public health. The group's executive director told ABC News the challenge isn't about opposing Ebola preparedness — it's about transparency and following Kenya's constitutional procedures, noting that no impact assessments or safeguarding plans had been shared publicly. They're not seeking to permanently block the plan, just pause it until the relevant documents are disclosed.

Kenya had also pushed for the facility to be open to all nationalities, not just U.S. citizens, but it was unclear if that would be the case.

Now, why does this matter to you personally? Here's the thing: the Trump administration's position is that Ebola will not be allowed to enter the United States — full stop. The administration has said it "cannot and will not allow" any Ebola cases to enter the country, unlike during the 2014–2016 outbreak when several infected Americans were brought home for treatment. The Kenya facility was essentially Plan B — a place to treat Americans abroad instead.

But health experts aren't thrilled with that logic either. Dr. Craig Spencer of Brown University's School of Public Health said he's worried the facility won't be able to stand up the quality of care needed to treat a very sick Ebola patient within just a few weeks or months. Some U.S. health experts have also warned the plan could discourage Americans from joining the Ebola response in the first place — which could ultimately make the outbreak worse.

And here's the bottom line: we won't be able to truly prevent Ebola from coming to the U.S., even with travel restrictions or bans, if we can't end the outbreak on the ground in Congo. The Kenya facility is a logistical workaround, but it doesn't address the root problem.

The U.S. State Department did announce it would commit $13.5 million toward Kenya's Ebola preparedness efforts — essentially sweetening the deal. The next court hearing is set for June 2.