Kenyan police fired tear gas on Tuesday and detained protesters demonstrating against a quarantine centre for Americans exposed to Ebola that the US has raced to build despite Kenyan court orders barring further work.
The proposed 50-bed unit on an air force base has angered many Kenyans, who accuse the US of offloading the risk of caring for those exposed to the Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.
Two people were killed in protests last week in the central town of Nanyuki, where frustration has grown as Kenyan and US authorities publicly reaffirm their commitment to the plan.
Police fired tear gas to disperse small groups of protesters who had gathered again in the town, which is next to the air force base, early on Tuesday. One protester carried a white cross emblazoned with the phrase "Respect Ebola" in red. A Reuters witness also saw officers round up six demonstrators and load them into police vehicles.
“We are not happy with the idea of establishing this Ebola facility here," protester Bethwel Onyango, 24, told Reuters. "Why would a government set up a facility to control a disease we don’t have when they can’t deal with the ones ailing us?”
US President Donald Trump's administration has said it "cannot and will not allow" any cases to enter the US, unlike during the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa when several infected US nationals were treated on US soil.
Several US citizens have been exposed to Ebola in eastern Congo and Uganda, where there have been more than 500 confirmed cases and 100 confirmed deaths from the outbreak declared last month.
Six, including one who tested positive for the disease, were moved to a medical facility in Germany last month, while another was taken to the Czech Republic.
The Nanyuki facility is designated for Americans who have been exposed to the virus but are still asymptomatic. Patients with symptoms would be sent to other countries, US officials have said.
KENYA SAYS IT IS DOING 'THE RIGHT THING'
A High Court judge has twice issued orders barring Kenya's government from taking steps to build or begin operations at the site. Her latest order gave the government one week to disclose all agreements and operational protocols related to the facility.
Joshua Malidzo, a lawyer challenging the quarantine plan on behalf of the Katiba Institute legal advocacy group, said the court's deadline expired on Monday without the government complying.
The Kenyan government has not commented on the court's order and a government spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. President William Ruto said last week that his administration was doing "the right thing" by establishing the facility.
US military planes have continued to ferry in staff and equipment even after court orders blocking the plan, according to US and diplomatic sources and flight tracking data, with several aircraft expected to land this week.
Satellite imagery seen by Reuters shows an increasing build-up of white tents in the middle of a plot of land totalling around 0.046 sq km cleared within the Laikipia Air Base since May 27.
The United States has said it is aware of the court challenge and was "working with the Kenyan government to resolve any objections".
Shortly after the Kenyan government agreed to the quarantine plan, the US said it would provide $13.5 million for Kenya's Ebola preparedness effort.
Kenyan officials have said the facility would also serve Kenyans and foreign nationals, but US officials have not confirmed this.
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