Ruto orders enhanced Ebola response as Kenya traces 27 passengers

NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 7 – President William Ruto has directed the National Security Council Committee (NSCC) to assess Kenya’s Ebola situation and recommend additional measures following the death of the country’s first confirmed imported Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) case. The directive came after the patient, who had travelled into Kenya from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), died after testing positive for Ebola. Following an NSCC meeting, the government said it had intensified surveillance, contact tracing, testing and other public health measures to prevent further transmission.

Eight family members of the deceased have been placed under quarantine and are undergoing daily monitoring for symptoms. A further 21 healthcare workers who attended to the patient have also been quarantined and are being closely monitored. Authorities have also expanded contact tracing to passengers who travelled on the same flight as the deceased.

So far, 27 passengers who may have come into contact with the patient have been identified and contacted, with public health measures being implemented. The deceased has since been safely buried in line with established public health protocols.No additional Ebola cases detected The government said Kenya had screened 652,584 travellers and tested 267 samples as of October 6, 2026. The samples were tested across five laboratories, including the National Virology Reference Laboratory (NVRL), KEMRI laboratories in Nairobi and Kisumu, and two mobile laboratories deployed at the Busia and Lwakhakha border points.

Of the 267 samples tested, the government said only one returned a positive result — that of the deceased patient. No additional positive Ebola cases have been detected, according to State House Spokesperson Hussein Mohamed. The government has also trained 4,971 healthcare workers at national and subnational levels on Ebola prevention, detection and management.

The government said several facilities have been designated to manage suspected and confirmed Ebola cases. They include Kenyatta National Hospital, with an eight-bed capacity; Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, with 50 beds; National Police Hospital, with 49 beds; and The Nairobi Hospital, with 143 beds. Additional county-level isolation centres have also been designated, with the government saying capacity will be expanded depending on how the situation develops.