Protests Break Out in Nanyuki Over the Establishment of Ebola Quarantine Facility

Hundreds of residents of Nanyuki took to the streets on Monday, June, to protest against the establishment of an Ebola Quarantine facility in the county.

The multitude of protesters made their way into the town's central business district, holding placards and the Kenyan flag.

The locals went as far as sitting in the middle of the Nanyuki-Nyeri Highway and expressing their displeasure with the proposal, claiming that it would put their lives at risk.

They demanded that the government abandon the project and kept chanting anti-government slogans as they marched across the town.

"We do not want Ebola, and those who want it should take it to the State House. America should take their people; we have no interest in them. Let them take them back to Congo or back to America," one protester said.

The youths further argued that instead of the government taking money at the expense of exposing them to the killer disease, it should have set up industries in the area to create employment.

Protestors marched towards the army barracks in Nanyuki, where they sang and chanted anti-oppression songs. One of the journalists had their camera briefly confiscated by a Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) officer.

At the entrance, the KDF officers had packed a military tanker at the entrance while several heavily armed officers manned the entrance.

The procession made its way back to Nanyuki Town, where they were met with police officers, who lobbed teargas to disperse them.

Reports of a joint partnership between the Kenyan and American governments establishing a quarantine and isolation facility sparked outrage among Kenyans, who noted that it would expose the country to the deadly Ebola Virus.

Katiba Institute filed a petition and secured conservatory orders from the High Court to temporarily stop the project pending the hearing and determination of the matter by the courts.

The American government acknowledged the court proceedings and stated that it would keep in touch with President William Ruto's administration on how to proceed after the resistance.

Medical Services Principal Secretary Ouma Oluga maintained that there would be a very low risk of exposure and maintained that the Kenyan medics can handle the virus, including preventing its spread outside the facility.