NAIROBI, Kenya Jun 3 – Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has maintained that the government will proceed with plans to establish an Ebola quarantine and isolation facility at Laikipia Air Base in Nanyuki without public participation, saying the urgency of the situation leaves no room for consultations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Appearing before the National Assembly on Wednesday, Duale said the proposed facility is part of broader preparedness measures aimed at preventing possible Ebola Virus Disease transmission, particularly across borders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He argued that existing public health laws give the government authority to act swiftly during disease threats, without engaging the public in advance processes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cUnder the Public Health Act, we don\u2019t need to do public participation; we are not going to consult citizens. Even MPs, when they fall sick, rush to the doctor to make sure they get the best treatment. This epidemic does not require any consultation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Duale stressed that protecting lives is the government\u2019s primary responsibility and warned that delays in response could have severe consequences if an outbreak occurs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTomorrow, God forbid, if Ebola is found in this country, this House will call me back here to ask why Kenyans are dying. Before Kenyans are infected, the government has a responsibility to protect them,\u201d he told MPs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He also questioned resistance from some leaders against the establishment of quarantine centres in their areas, asking where patients would be treated if every county rejected such facilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf every county refuses to set up a quarantine facility, where will we treat Kenyans? Are we going to treat them up in the air? We, as the government, have a responsibility,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The CS added that isolation centres could also be established within military installations across the country to strengthen national preparedness, noting that such facilities would serve both Kenyan citizens and foreign nationals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe can still create another isolation centre in one of our barracks in any part of the country. The facilities will be used to treat both Kenyans and foreigners. Let\u2019s not politicise it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Duale further assured that the Laikipia facility would be open to both Kenyan and foreign patients, including US citizens, and pointed to previous international cooperation during the COVID-19 pandemic as an example of effective emergency collaboration.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Duale said the proposed facility is part of broader preparedness measures aimed at preventing possible Ebola Virus Disease transmission, particularly across borders.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12616,"featured_media":802873,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,4625,26],"tags":[],"coauthors":[407],"class_list":["post-802870","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-kenya","category-national-news","category-top-stories"],"yoast_head":"\n