BY MITCHELLE MAINGI: Hundreds of Nanyuki residents took to the streets today to protest plans to establish a proposed Ebola quarantine and isolation facility at the Laikipia Air Base.
The morning demonstrations drew large crowds of youth, business owners, and community leaders who voiced deep concerns over the project’s safety and its potential impact on the town.
The protests brought business to a standstill in Nanyuki, forcing shops to close as demonstrators marched through major roads.
Carrying placards, twigs, and Kenyan flags, the crowds chanted slogans rejecting the project and blocked key transport sections.
Security forces, including police and military personnel, monitored the situation closely, blocking protesters from accessing the highly guarded military installation.
Public anxiety escalated following reports of unusual aircraft activity around the air base, despite a High Court order issued on Friday by Justice Patricia Nyaundi that temporarily halted the project.
Local residents claimed to have spotted several large aircraft landing at the base in recent days, fueling speculation that preparations for the center were continuing.
“Why are they bringing the patients already, even after the temporary ban?” asked one resident, reflecting the mounting alarm in the county.
The controversy stems from a U.S. administration plan to set up a 50-bed makeshift field hospital at the base to quarantine and treat American citizens exposed to or infected with the Ebola virus during the ongoing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.
Activists, constitutional rights groups like the Katiba Institute, and medical unions have strongly opposed the move, accusing the government of risking national biosecurity.
Local political leaders have also thrown their weight behind the residents. In a joint statement, Laikipia legislators demanded full disclosure from the national government.
“We reject this proposal. Why can’t those exposed be taken to their countries if Ebola is not a deadly disease? Are Kenyans, and more so the people of Laikipia, lesser human beings?” argued Laikipia Senator John Kinyua.
Laikipia Governor Joshua Irungu warned that the facility would devastate the local economy. “The establishment of an Ebola quarantine facility within the county, irrespective of its technical purpose or scope, would almost certainly lead to Laikipia being erroneously perceived as a designated center for Ebola treatment or containment,” Irungu said, noting that such a perception would scare away tourists and investors.
As night falls over Nanyuki, a tense uncertainty hangs over the town. With the High Court set to hear the full constitutional petitions this week, all eyes are on the judiciary to see if the temporary ban on the facility will be made permanent.
