The Kakamega county government has revealed intentions to create two Ebola quarantine facilities as part of measures to enhance Kenya’s readiness against the lethal virus.
According to Kakamega Deputy Governor Ayub Savula, the county will establish these quarantine facilities following talks with the Ministry of Health.
On Friday, June 5, Savula stated that the decision was approved during a recent county cabinet meeting against the backdrop of escalating Ebola outbreaks in various regions of East and Central Africa.
“We recently convened to discuss our preparedness in addressing the Ebola disease threatening East Africa. We have agreed in our meeting that we must be prepared and deploy public officers to control the disease in Kenya and the East African region,” he explained.
The Deputy Governor emphasized that the county administration fully backs comprehensive measures, including the creation of isolation facilities to manage any potential outbreak.
“In Kakamega County, we are establishing two centers, and the cabinet has determined that these will be locations where infected individuals will be quarantined,” Savula stated.
He mentioned that Kakamega was chosen due to its strategic position as a major transit corridor connecting western Kenya to neighboring countries and important towns nationwide.
“We decided to establish two Ebola quarantine centers in Kakamega County because it serves as a transit area connecting Busia, Bungoma and Eldoret,” he said.
This announcement follows shortly after Kenya and the United States reached an agreement to establish a 50-bed Ebola quarantine and bio-isolation facility at the Laikipia Air Base in Nanyuki.
However, the project has since been questioned due to an ongoing legal challenge filed against the facility.
The U.S.-backed center was intended to provide emergency triage, testing, and isolation services for American citizens, contractors, and peacekeepers exposed to Ebola.
Despite public opposition and the court case, President William Ruto has defended the creation of the Laikipia facility, maintaining that it is part of Kenya’s wider disease preparedness strategy.