Kenya's Health Minister Aden Duale found in contempt of court over US-backed Ebola center

The 50-bed isolation center, located at a military base in Nanyuki, was intended for US citizens suspected of contracting Ebola from the current outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. A judge ruled that Duale ignored the court's directive, stating that a court order is a command to be obeyed, not an invitation to ingenuity. Sentencing is scheduled for Tuesday.

The project has led to angry protests in Nanyuki, resulting in the deaths of three people, including 17-year-old Sylvester Muigai Ndung'u. The Katiba Institute, a rights group, had petitioned the court in May to stop construction, citing "grave and imminent risks" to public health. The health ministry had claimed that any ongoing construction was solely by the Kenyan government for national interest, but the judge rejected this argument. President William Ruto has defended the plan, stating that refusing the US request would be "inhuman" and urged Kenyans not to politicize the matter.

The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union KMPDU has voiced strong opposition, questioning why Kenya was chosen to host such a facility, especially given its distance from the outbreak's epicenter and the lack of recorded Ebola cases in Kenya. The US plans to provide $13.5 million for Kenya's Ebola preparedness effor