Kenyan Protesters Rally Against US Ebola Quarantine Center at Laikipia Air Base

Hundreds of youths in Nanyuki, Kenya, demonstrated on Monday against the establishment of an Ebola quarantine center for American citizens at the Laikipia Air Base. The protests occurred two days after Kenya's High Court suspended the facility's establishment and the arrival of any foreign patients, pending a hearing on a case filed by the Law Society of Kenya and a constitutional watchdog.

The organizations cited Kenya's fragile health system as the reason foreign Ebola patients should not be quarantined in the country. U.S.

officials had announced Thursday that the United States planned to send Americans exposed to Ebola while abroad to a new facility in Kenya instead of flying them home. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the facility would be at Laikipia Air Base and would be operational with 50 quarantine beds by Friday.

On Monday, hundreds of youths marched to the gates of the air base, chanting anti-Ebola slogans. Health Minister Aden Duale stated on Sunday that the quarantine center was for "everyone" and not exclusively for U.S.

nationals. The U.S.

government intends to commit $13.5 million toward Kenya's Ebola preparedness efforts, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Local leaders, including Laikipia Governor Joshua Irungu, opposed the facility, saying, "This will expose our people to Ebola," noting that many locals work inside the air base and could be exposed.

Resident Malin Ndegwa questioned why Kenya should host foreigners when it is not the epicenter of the outbreak, stating, "Why are they not doing it in the DRC (Congo)? Why are they not doing it in Uganda?

Why must they bring it here? So we are saying, we categorically, no negotiations, no public participation, we want nothing.

We want that facility taken out of our town, we want it taken out of Kenya." Kenya has not recorded any Ebola cases, but neighboring Uganda has reported nine and closed its border with Congo. At least 282 confirmed cases have been reported in Congo, with over 1,000 suspected cases of the Bundibugyo virus, the current species of Ebola, which has no approved treatment or vaccine.