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Man reportedly shot at Kenya protest against US Ebola quarantine centre
June 9, 2026 International Source: BBC World
Protesters are concerned about cross-border infection risks and the lack of transparency from the government about the treatment centre.
Kenya protester against US Ebola quarantine centre reportedly shot in Nanyuki
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Protesters are angry that Kenya has agreed to host the US treatment centre
A group of protesters - one in a red top clearly seen at the front - hold their arms in the air as they face a policeman in camouflage uniform.
Man reportedly shot at Kenya protest against US Ebola quarantine centre
A demonstrator has been shot during a protest in the Kenyan town of Nanyuki against the construction of an Ebola quarantine centre for US citizens, witnesses have told journalists.
A protest leader told the Reuters news agency that police shot dead the demonstrator. The police have not yet commented.
Groups of protesters, who were waving Kenyan flags, carrying placards and holding a coffin with the word "Ebola" written on the side, had been demanding that the US plan to build the health facility at a nearby military base be reversed. The police had fired tear gas to break up the demonstration.
Last week, two people died after being shot as police dispersed similar protests.
Last week, two people died after being shot
The AFP news agency reports that on Tuesday there were running battles in Nanyuki - about 200km (125 miles) north of the capital, Nairobi - as protesters clashed with police.
Its journalists heard gunshots and saw a man who had been shot in the head lying motionless, AFP says.
Reuters reports that two of its journalists saw the body of the man in the back of a police vehicle, but they did not witness the shooting themselves.
The US plan has sparked public concern in Kenya about cross-border infection risks and the lack of transparency from the government about the treatment centre.
Last month, the High Court said the opening of the facility should be halted after a rights group opened a case alleging it posed "grave and imminent risks" to public health.
the High Court said the opening of the facility should be halted
after a rights group opened a case alleging it posed "grave and imminent risks" to public health.
Protester Priscilla Imani told Reuters that the US plan has affected Nanyuki and the wider Laikipia county with people being afraid to visit.
"My message is this, Laikipia is not a dumping site and our voices must be heard," she said.
The proposed 50-bed isolation centre is to be staffed by US medics and is intended to treat Americans affected by the current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Protesters say there is a lack of transparency over the building of the quarantine centre
Protesters carry a white coffin, with the word "Ebola" in red paint on the side. They are also holding placards saying - in Swahili - "we reject Ebola" and - in English: "Public trust requires transparency".
A US official told the BBC that Kenya was selected due to "proximity, airports in the region having limited capability, and to ensure Americans can be treated in a timely manner".
The Congolese city of Bunia, the epicentre of the outbreak, is 780km (485 miles) from Nanyuki, with Uganda separating DR Congo and Kenya.
DR Congo has so far recorded some 600 confirmed Ebola cases and 100 deaths.
President William Ruto defended the plan saying he had received a request from the US to establish the centre and a refusal would be "inhuman".
He called on Kenyans not to politicise a matter "so serious" as Ebola, asking politicians to avoid "reckless" talk about it.
Satellite imagery seen by the BBC show that construction has continued at the airbase despite the court halting it.
The US official last week said the administration was aware of the court case but "optimistic we can resolve objections".
A medic checks the temperature of a woman, using a contactless infrared thermometer. Only the arm of the medic, who is wearing white, is shown. The woman having her temperature checked has her hair in braids. She is wearing a bright blue top with a pattern and is standing next to a blue wooden door with a white and blue building in the background.
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