Doctors Union Rejects US-Backed Ebola Facility in Kenya, Threatens Nationwide Strike

Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) has rejected plans that the United States is backing to set up an Ebola quarantine and treatment facility at the Laikipia Air Base.

In a press statement released on May 28, 2026, the union criticized what it termed as “backdoor negotiations” between the Kenyan government and the United States administration regarding the proposed facility.

The union argued that Kenya risks being turned into a containment colony for a lethal pathogen despite not being the source of the Ebola outbreak.

“The union would not remain silent while the country’s national biosecurity and healthcare systems are allegedly compromised for foreign interests,” KMPDU Secretary-General Dr. Davji Bhimji Atellah said.

Questions Over Transparency

KMPDU questioned why Kenya had allegedly been selected to host the quarantine center despite the current Bundibugyo strain Ebola outbreak being centered in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.

“The current Bundibugyo strain Ebola outbreak is centered in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda. We demand absolute transparency from Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on why Kenya has been selected as the designated dumping ground for exposed U.S. citizens while nations directly bordering the epicentre are bypassed,” the statement read.

The union further challenged the logic behind transporting potentially infected individuals into Kenyan territory if the United States considers evacuation flights to Washington unsafe.

“If the United States believes the 12-hour medevac flight back to Washington is too dangerous for its citizens, by what logic is it safe to fly infected or exposed individuals into Kenyan airspace and drop them in Laikipia? The U.S. government openly states: ‘We cannot and will not allow any cases of Ebola to enter the United States.’ If it is too dangerous for America, it is too dangerous for Kenya,” KMPDU stated.

The doctors’ union also called for the immediate publication of any bilateral agreements tied to the alleged project and demanded explanations on why Kenya was being structurally singled out to bear the biosecurity risks of a foreign superpower.

Also Read: Blow to Trump as Petition Filed to Block Proposed Ebola Quarantine Facility in Kenya

Concerns Over Kenya’s Healthcare Crisis

KMPDU accused the government of prioritizing foreign-funded biohazard infrastructure while local healthcare facilities continue struggling with shortages of essential equipment, medicines and staffing.

“It is the height of irony and betrayal that, while the Ministry of Health claims our local public facilities are too broke to function, it is actively facilitating the importation of a deadly hemorrhagic fever. What exactly is the government’s priority?” the union posed.

The statement added that many public hospitals remain structurally crippled, lacking basic diagnostic reagents, essential medicines, and functional intensive care infrastructure.

“Our public hospitals are currently structurally crippled. We lack basic diagnostic reagents, essential medicines, and functional intensive care infrastructure. Yet, the government is stretching our already thin national security and public health surveillance mechanisms to accommodate a foreign-funded biohazard hub,” KMPDU said.

KMPDU Demand for Local Employment

KMPDU also linked the proposed project to Kenya’s persistent healthcare staffing crisis, noting that thousands of trained doctors and healthcare workers remain unemployed.

“For years, KMPDU has sounded the alarm on the severe, chronic shortage of doctors and healthcare workers in Kenya. Thousands of qualified, highly trained Kenyan Doctors and healthcare workers remain unemployed or underemployed on precarious, low-paying casual contracts, while our public facilities suffer a deficit of over 100,000 healthcare workers,” the statement read.

The union expressed suspicion that the proposed facility could be staffed by the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps instead of Kenyan professionals.

“We note with extreme suspicion reports that this facility is to be staffed by the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. KMPDU issues a stark warning: We will not tolerate an apartheid healthcare model on Kenyan soil,” the statement added.

Also Read:Govt Breaks Silence on US Plans to Build an Ebola Facility in Kenya

Ultimatum to Government

The union concluded by issuing a 48-hour ultimatum to the government to make public all negotiations related to the proposed Ebola facility.

“Kenya is a sovereign republic, not a geopolitical isolation ward. We give the government a 48-hour ultimatum to make these negotiations public,” the statement declared.

“Should the Ministry of Health proceed to sign away Kenya’s health security to appease foreign masters without addressing our structural healthcare shortages and staffing crises, KMPDU will mobilize nationwide industrial action. We will protect our healthcare workers, and we will protect our country,” KMPDU concluded.

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