U.S. plan to open Ebola quarantine center in Kenya faces growing backlash and protests

AfricaU.S. plan to open Ebola quarantine center in Kenya faces growing backlash and protestsPresident William Ruto defended the proposed 50-bed facility Tuesday, while U.S. health experts and former officials warned that the plan to treat exposed Americans abroad raised “profound clinical, ethical, operational, and legal concerns.”Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Add NBC News to GoogleProtests erupt over U.S. Ebola quarantine center in Kenya01:01Get more newsLiveonShareAdd NBC News to GoogleJune 2, 2026, 9:12 AM EDTBy Mithil AggarwalPlans for Americans exposed to Ebola to be quarantined abroad faced mounting backlash Tuesday, with Kenya’s president defending a proposed 50-bed facility in the country after violent protests.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.A Kenyan court extended its block on the establishment of the center at the Laikipia air base, while U.S. health experts and former officials said in an open letter to Congress that the plan to treat exposed Americans abroad raised “profound clinical, ethical, operational, and legal concerns.”The Trump administration has said no exposed U.S. citizens will return home for treatment, as concerns mount over the growing outbreak centered in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.A number of Americans are currently being monitored or receiving treatment in Europe after being exposed to the deadly virus in Congo or Uganda. But plans for a quarantine unit to be managed by U.S. staff in central Kenya have drawn intense anger and fears it could fuel infections in the East African country.Kenyan President William Ruto defended the proposal Tuesday. “The quarantine facility being established at Laikipia Air Base with the support of the United States is neither unique nor exceptional, but part of a broader national preparedness system,” he said in a post on X. “We are a responsible government. We know what we are doing,” he told reporters earlie...