The Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs has issued a public health advisory urging Kenyans living in or travelling through parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda affected by the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak to exercise caution.
In a notice of Friday, May 22, the government called on Kenyans in the diaspora to remain vigilant and strictly follow guidance issued by health authorities in their host countries, as well as updates shared by Kenyan embassies and missions nearby.
The ministry emphasized the importance of maintaining proper hygiene practices, particularly regular handwashing using soap and clean running water, as part of efforts to reduce the risk of infection.
"We urge Kenyan diaspora living in or traveling through parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda affected by the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak to exercise caution," the notice read.
Kenyans were also advised to avoid contact with sick individuals or bodily fluids wherever possible, noting that Ebola spreads through direct contact with infected persons and contaminated materials.
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Further, the government urged anyone experiencing symptoms associated with Ebola, including fever, weakness, vomiting, diarrhoea, or unexplained bleeding, especially after travel to affected areas, to seek immediate medical attention.
The advisory comes amid heightened surveillance and regional concern over Ebola outbreaks reported in parts of East and Central Africa.
To support affected Kenyans abroad, the State Department for Diaspora Affairs said assistance is available through its 24-hour Diaspora Response Center.
The centre can be reached via telephone at +254207876000 or WhatsApp at +254114757002.
This comes a day after the United States government has committed Ksh1.68 billion ($13 million) toward emergency Ebola response efforts in DR Congo and Uganda.
In a statement on Wednesday, May 20, the United States Department of State said it moved swiftly after learning of the confirmed Ebola cases.
"On May 15, 2026, within 24 hours of learning of the confirmed cases, the Department leveraged its outbreak response and humanitarian assistance capabilities to establish an interagency coordination cell and incident management system in Washington, D.C. Embassies in the DRC, Rwanda, South Sudan, and Uganda have joined this group and established monitoring groups to track developments and communicate with American citizens in the region," the statement read.
The department said the response escalated rapidly within two days of the outbreak confirmation.
"Within 48 hours, the Department activated a response plan and mobilized an initial $13 million in foreign assistance for immediate response efforts," the statement added.
According to the statement, the latest funding adds to previous American investments in disease surveillance systems and emergency outbreak response partnerships signed with both Uganda and the DRC.
"This funding builds on U.S. investments in disease surveillance and outbreak detection, and response efforts made through bilateral health MOUs signed with both the DRC and Uganda under the America First Global Health Strategy," the statement continued.
The U.S. government further announced plans to support the establishment of up to 50 treatment clinics in affected regions to help strengthen screening and containment measures.
"The United States is committing to rapidly supporting the Ebola outbreak response by funding up to 50 treatment clinics, and associated frontline costs being established in Ebola-affected regions of the DRC and Uganda.
"These rapidly deployed clinics will provide emergency Ebola screening, triage, and isolation capacity," the statement further read.
The State Department noted that rapid containment efforts remain critical in preventing the virus from spreading beyond the affected regions.
"We know from previous outbreak response that ensuring partners rapidly scale up containment and treatment efforts in the affected regions is the most critical variable to ensuring an effective response and that the disease does not spread," the statement read.
According to the department, funding will largely be channeled through United Nations-managed emergency response systems.
"The United States will deliver this funding primarily via Central Emergency Response Funds (CERF) pooled funding vehicles administered by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), building upon our landmark partnership with OCHA to deliver life-saving assistance faster, more efficiently, and more accountable," the statement noted.
