Kenya’s health minister orders suspension of construction on a US-backed Ebola facility

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenya’s health minister on Tuesday ordered the suspension of the construction of an Ebola quarantine center for Americans, a day after he was held in contempt by a court that had halted the project.

Trump administration officials had said that the United States was planning to send Americans who are exposed to Ebola while abroad to a new facility in Kenya instead of flying them home.

In May, the high court had ordered the construction of the center to be halted pending a determination of the case filed by the Law Society of Kenya and the constitutional watchdog, the Katiba Institute, which argued that Kenya’s fragile health system was unable to handle a potential Ebola outbreak.

Construction continued despite the order, and locals held a series of protests in which three people died.

Health Minister Aden Duale was found in contempt on Monday and was ordered to attend a sentencing hearing on Tuesday. At the hearing, Duale apologized and he said that it was never his intention to “disregard, undermine or act in defiance of the orders of the court.”

The court accepted his apology and didn’t take any further action against the minister.

Duale defended the quarantine center, saying concerns that it posed a threat to local residents were unfounded.

“The fear that the Laikipia facility could serve as a vehicle for Ebola importation into surrounding communities is scientifically unfounded,” he said.

The U.S. government intends to commit $13.5 million toward Kenya’s Ebola preparedness efforts.