NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenya’s leader has publicly backed a controversial American-funded Ebola treatment center, even as legal challenges and citizen demonstrations have temporarily halted the project.
President William Ruto spoke out Monday evening in support of the disputed quarantine center planned for Laikipia Air Base, describing it as part of America’s decades-long health collaboration with his nation. He explained the facility represents just one of 24 such centers being developed to prepare for potential Ebola cases within Kenya’s borders.
Public opposition has mounted since American officials announced last week that US Ebola patients would not be permitted to return home for treatment, but would instead receive care at the Kenyan facility. The collaboration involves a $13 million American investment in the partnership.
A high court judge on Tuesday extended emergency orders first issued Friday that suspend both facility construction and any incoming foreign patients. Legal advocates from the Law Society of Kenya and constitutional group Katiba Institute brought the case, arguing Kenya’s struggling healthcare infrastructure cannot adequately serve international patients.
Making his first public remarks about the controversy, Ruto explained his decision stemmed from longstanding diplomatic ties between the nations.
“When President Trump asked the government of Kenya to support them by having a center at Laikipia Air Base, I gave the OK because it was an agreement and a partnership with friends who have worked with Kenya for 30-40 years,” he said.
The president emphasized that facilities created through this partnership would also serve Kenyan citizens should an Ebola outbreak occur domestically.
“We are a responsible government. We know what we are doing. People should relax. Politicians should avoid reckless, unnecessary talk that doesn’t mean anything,” he said.
