Kenya Confirms First Ebola Case

Kenya has confirmed its first imported case of Ebola (Bundibugyo) Virus Disease.

In a statement on Tuesday, October 6, the Ministry of Health said the patient was a Kenyan citizen who had been living in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for the past seven years. 

The Ministry said he fell ill about a month ago and received treatment at several hospitals while in the DRC.

The patient travelled by road from the DRC to Kampala before boarding Jambo Jet flight number 8523 to Nairobi. 

He arrived in Nairobi on Saturday, October 3, 2026, at 1:10 pm and underwent the normal public health screening at the Port Health and Immigration desk.

After arriving at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), the patient was transported directly to Nairobi Hospital by a relative and a friend using a Toyota Fielder vehicle.

He was quickly isolated in a separate room at the hospital's Accident and Emergency department before being transferred to the East Wing Isolation Facility.

The patient presented with fever, chills, intense fatigue and weakness, muscle pain, painful swallowing, sore throat and bleeding under the skin at injection sites.

"Based on the above presentation and history of travel to DRC the doctor considered this a case of Viral Haemorrhagic Fever and collected a sample for testing which turned positive for Ebola Bundibugyo Virus Disease at both the National Virology Reference Laboratory and the KEMRI Lab," the statement read.

The Ministry said the patient was given supportive treatment but later died.

"The patient was given supportive treatment but regrettably passed on last night. We take this opportunity to pass our sincere condolences to the family and friends of the departed," the statement added.

The Ministry said preparations for the burial of the deceased were underway, with the process expected to follow established Ebola safety protocols.

"Arrangements for safe and dignified burial of the deceased are ongoing, and the burial is planned for later today in line with the Ebola safe and dignified burial protocols," the statement further read.

According to the Ministry, Health authorities have begun tracing people who may have come into contact with the deceased, including family members, healthcare workers and passengers who travelled on the same flight.

"So far we have listed 28 contacts of the deceased including family members and health workers who attended to the deceased. We are also pursuing a further 23 passengers and 4 crew members who were on the same flight with the deceased. Arrangements for quarantine of those at risk to protect the public is ongoing," the statement noted.

Meanwhile, the Ministry said it had maintained heightened surveillance for Ebola since the outbreak began in May 2026, with more than 650,000 travellers screened and hundreds of samples tested.

"I wish to reiterate that we have continued to maintain a high level of alert for Ebola since the outbreak began in May 2026," the statement read 

As of October 6, 2026, the Ministry said 652,584 travellers had been screened. 

A total of 267 samples had been tested across five laboratories, including the National Virology Reference Laboratory, KEMRI Nairobi, KEMRI Kisumu and two mobile laboratories deployed at the Busia border in Busia County and Lwakhakha border in Bungoma County.

The Ministry said only one test had returned positive among the samples tested so far.

The government has urged members of the public to maintain hygiene measures and seek medical attention when unwell.

"The public is urged to continue with frequent hand washing or use alcoholic hand rubs and avoid close contact with sick people coming from countries reporting active transmission of Ebola disease. You are reminded to seek care from a recognised health facility if unwell. Further, you should report any persons known to be unwell to the nearest facility," the statement concluded.