A high court in Kenya has temporarily suspended the establishment in the country of an Ebola quarantine unit for Americans, dealing a blow to the Trump administration’s plans to have the facility operational on Friday.
The court order, an official version of which was seen by The New York Times, was dated Thursday and came after a civil society group filed a petition challenging the constitutionality of the quarantine facility.
It was unclear how long the suspension would last, but a further hearing about the case is expected on Tuesday.
The civil society group, the Katiba Institute, said it wanted to compel the Kenyan government — which has not confirmed the existence of a deal to accept American citizens — to disclose details of any such arrangement.
U.S. officials said on Thursday that the 50-bed quarantine unit would house American citizens exposed to the Ebola virus. The facility would be set up at a military air base in Laikipia, an area about 100 miles north of Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, and was expected to be operational by Friday, the officials said.
In a phone interview, Nora Mbagathi, the executive director of the Katiba Institute, said: “No one is saying that we are against international collaboration and support when it comes to tackling that crisis. But there are procedures and processes in the Constitution and they are there for a reason.”
Tommy Pigott, a State Department spokesman, said on Thursday that the United States would commit $13.5 million to Ebola preparation efforts in Kenya. That statement came after a phone call between President William Ruto of Kenya and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, but it did not mention the quarantine facility.
On social media, Mr. Ruto said on Thursday that he had also discussed Ebola measures with foreign envoys, including representatives from the United States, and that they had agreed “on the importance of cooperation and avoiding isolationism.” But he did not mention the Ebola quarantine facility for Americans.
The possibility of such a unit in Kenya has led to criticism of the government. Kenya has never recorded an Ebola case, and the main doctors’ union has expressed concern that the country’s health facilities would be ill equipped to handle an outbreak.
In an interview, Davji Atellah, secretary general of the doctors union, criticized the plan to dedicate a facility to U.S. citizens. “This quarantine center is American-focused,” he said. “There are no plans for Kenyans who get infected by Ebola.”
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