Kenya has confirmed its first Ebola case after a citizen returning from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) died in a Nairobi hospital, extending a regional outbreak that has killed more than 4,000 people.
In a statement on Tuesday, Health Minister Aden Duale said the patient lived in DR Congo for seven years and received treatment at several hospitals after falling ill about a month ago. He traveled by road to Uganda’s capital, Kampala, before boarding a Jambojet flight to Nairobi on October 3.
He underwent routine screening at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport before a relative and a friend took him directly to Nairobi Hospital, where he was immediately isolated, the minister said. Two laboratories confirmed the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, and he died on Monday night, according to the statement.
The authorities have identified 28 contacts, including relatives and healthcare workers, and are tracing another 23 passengers and four crew members who were on the same flight as the patient.
“I wish to reassure the public not to panic, as all systems are in place to mitigate the spread of the disease,” Duale said.
DR Congo declared the outbreak in May and recorded 8,442 confirmed infections and 4,080 deaths as of October 2, according to the Health Ministry. The World Health Organization (WHO) says insecurity, a humanitarian crisis, and extensive population movements have complicated containment.
There is no licensed vaccine or specific treatment for the Bundibugyo strain, although trials are underway. Ebola spreads through direct contact with infected bodily fluids, including those of deceased patients.
Uganda also recorded 20 confirmed cases and two deaths before the WHO declared the country Ebola-free in August.
Kenya had never recorded an Ebola case despite repeated outbreaks in other African countries. The 2014-2016 epidemic that devastated Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone killed more than 11,000 people, while DR Congo’s 2018-2020 outbreak infected 3,481 people and killed 2,299, according to the WHO.
Nairobi announced heightened surveillance and screening in May following the outbreaks in DR Congo and Uganda. It agreed to host a controversial US-backed quarantine facility at Laikipia Air Base for Americans exposed to the virus abroad, prompting protests and a legal challenge over fears of importing infections.
In June, Kenya’s health minister was found in contempt of court after construction continued despite a High Court order suspending the project. Duale apologized and said he ordered “the immediate and complete cessation of any intended construction, site preparation, or related activities” at the facility.
However, the Law Society of Kenya and constitutional watchdog Katiba Institute alleged in July that the facility was operating despite the court ban. US-based Christian relief organization Samaritan’s Purse confirmed that seven employees returning from DR Congo were quarantined in Kenya but did not disclose their location. Katiba Institute called reports that they had been transferred to Laikipia Air Base “deeply alarming” and a violation of the court’s orders.
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