The proposed 50-bed facility has become a dispute over public-health preparedness, sovereignty and local consent. It would be used for people exposed to Ebola during the Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, according to the Associated Press account of US officials' plan and Kenyan proceedings. Kenya has not reported confirmed Ebola cases in the current outbreak, according to AP and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Guardian reported on 9 June that one man was shot dead during the latest protest near the air base, citing witnesses and local accounts. Al Jazeera, reporting with Reuters, said at least one person had been killed after Kenyan police opened fire during the Nanyuki demonstration. The Star, a Kenyan outlet, reported fresh protests the same day and said demonstrators accused police of using unnecessary force.
Earlier protests had already reached the courts and local hospitals. The Star reported on 4 June that protests against the proposed facility had left one person dead, two people with gunshot injuries at Nanyuki hospital and 31 accused persons in court. Because fatality accounts have varied across reports, this article attributes the death toll to the outlets and organisations reporting it rather than treating a single final figure as established by police or court record.
The legal challenge was filed by Katiba Institute, a Kenyan constitutional advocacy group, against Kenya's attorney-general and health cabinet secretary. Katiba said on 28 May that it was asking the court to stop any Ebola quarantine or treatment facility in Kenya under an arrangement with the United States or other foreign governments, to bar the entry of people exposed to or infected with Ebola under the challenged arrangement, and to require disclosure of the proposed deal's public-health, environmental, biosafety and security assessments.
The High Court then ordered the Kenyan government to disclose agreements, negotiations, approvals, risk assessments and operational protocols for the proposed Kenya-US Ebola facility, The Star reported from the 2 June hearing. The Star said the court also consolidated a Law Society of Kenya petition with Katiba's case and made Katiba the lead file. AP reported that the court had suspended the facility's establishment and the arrival of foreign patients pending the case.
The public-health facts are narrower than the political dispute. WHO's 8 June disease outbreak update said the current event is Bundibugyo virus disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. WHO reported 534 confirmed cases and 93 deaths across the two countries as of 6 June, including 515 confirmed cases and 91 deaths in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and 19 confirmed cases and two deaths in Uganda. WHO said Uganda's cases were linked to transmission from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with no documented community transmission in Uganda.
Table: WHO confirmed Bundibugyo virus disease cases and deaths, as of 6 June 2026
| Country | Confirmed cases | Confirmed deaths | WHO risk note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | 515 | 91 | National risk assessed as very high |
| Uganda | 19 | 2 | National risk assessed as high |