Around 20 flights carrying medical equipment and specialist personnel had arrived at a Kenyan air base where the United States was building an Ebola quarantine facility, even as court orders and public protests sought to halt the project.
The facility, located at a Kenyan air force base in Nanyuki, was designed to hold 50 beds for US citizens potentially exposed to the virus, which had been spreading in parts of Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.
At least two people had been killed during protests in the town over the project, which had drawn strong local opposition and legal challenges.
Despite a Kenyan court order issued on May 28 suspending construction, US military flights continued landing in the days that followed, according to flight data and officials.
The flights were said to have delivered construction materials, medical equipment and teams of doctors, engineers and laboratory specialists, although no patients had been transported to the facility.
A US official said work had continued with brief pauses caused by confusion over the court ruling, but later resumed after Kenyan authorities indicated operations could proceed.
The US embassy in Nairobi said it was aware of the court action and was working with Kenyan authorities to address concerns.
Kenyan President William Ruto defended the project, saying his government was acting responsibly in supporting Ebola preparedness and long-standing health cooperation with Washington.
He did not directly address the court order that had suspended the project.
A diplomatic cable seen by Reuters suggested US officials believed Kenyan authorities had underestimated the strength of public opposition to the facility.
The cable also noted that anger over the Ebola centre came amid broader domestic tensions in Kenya, including rising fuel prices and the memory of deadly protests the previous year.
Construction continued even after a second court ruling extended the suspension and ordered the government to disclose details of its agreement with Washington.
A source familiar with the project said the facility was close to completion, adding that it would only stop if directed by the Kenyan government.
“They have got everything and everyone in, except any patients,” one source said.
The US State Department said any American citizen exposed to Ebola but not showing symptoms could be transported to the facility for a 21-day quarantine period.
If symptoms developed, patients would be moved elsewhere for treatment, it added, without providing further details.
Erizia Rubyjeana
Follow us on: