Two Kenyans die during protest against U.S. Ebola site plan

Two people have died during a held protest against a planned Ebola quarantine facility in Kenya.

The duo were said to have died of gunshot wounds following a clash with policemen who opened fire on hundreds of protesters during the agitation.

The convener of the remonstration, Patrick Wahome, said that the incident which happened in Nanyuki was held against the 50-bedroom facility in Laikipia Air Base.

Many Kenyans argue the project offloads the public health risk of caring for exposed patients onto their country.

Addressing the issue for the first time on Tuesday, President William Ruto defended the project, describing it as part of a wider preparedness plan and a long-running health partnership with Washington.

“The facility that is at Laikipia Air Base is not a facility different from all the other facilities that we have across Kenya,” he told reporters.

“We are a responsible government. We know what we are doing,” he said, though he did not mention the court order halting the project.

The facility is designed to house Americans exposed to Ebola in Congo or Uganda, but only while they remain asymptomatic. Patients who develop symptoms would be transferred elsewhere, U.S. officials have explained.

The outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, declared May 15, has already caused more than 900 suspected cases and over 220 suspected deaths in eastern Congo, with spillover into Uganda.

Experts warn the epidemic is likely larger than official figures suggest.