“We Will Not Tolerate”: KMPDU Rejects Proposed U.S.-Kenya Ebola Quarantine Facility, Threatens Nationwide Strike

By Gedion Nzyoki -

• KMPDU has opposed a reported U.S.-Kenya Ebola quarantine facility deal, demanding full public disclosure from the government.
• The doctors’ union warned that Kenya’s struggling healthcare system should not be burdened with additional international health risks.
• Secretary General Dr. Davji Atellah says the union could mobilize nationwide industrial action if the government fails to respond within 48 hours.

Nairobi,Kenya|May 28,2026- The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) has strongly opposed the proposed establishment of a United States-funded Ebola quarantine and treatment facility in Kenya, warning of nationwide industrial action if the government fails to make the agreement public within 48 hours.

In a strongly worded statement issued on Thursday by the Union, KMPDU Secretary General Dr. Davji Bhimji Atellah accused the government of engaging in secret negotiations with the United States administration over plans to set up the facility at Laikipia Air Base.

The union claimed the arrangement would expose Kenya to unnecessary biosecurity risks while the country’s own healthcare system continues to struggle with chronic underfunding, shortages of essential medicines, and inadequate medical infrastructure.

“KMPDU is calling out the hypocrisy of the ongoing backdoor negotiations between the Government of Kenya and the United States administration regarding the establishment of an Ebola quarantine and treatment facility at Laikipia Air Base,” the statement read in part.

The doctors’ union questioned why Kenya had allegedly been selected to host the quarantine centre despite the current Bundibugyo strain Ebola outbreak being concentrated in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda.

KMPDU demanded immediate transparency from Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, insisting that Kenyans deserve to know the details of the reported bilateral arrangement.

“If it is too dangerous for America, it is too dangerous for Kenya,” the union stated, while urging the government to publish the full agreement and explain the rationale behind the decision.

The union further criticized the government for allegedly prioritizing a foreign-funded biohazard facility while public hospitals across the country continue to face severe shortages of medical supplies, diagnostic equipment, and healthcare personnel.

According to KMPDU, Kenya’s public health sector currently suffers from a deficit of more than 100,000 healthcare workers, with thousands of qualified doctors and nurses remaining unemployed or working under precarious contracts.

The union also expressed concern over reports that the proposed facility could be staffed by the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps instead of Kenyan healthcare professionals.

KMPDU warned that any arrangement sidelining local doctors and nurses would be resisted, adding that the government must prioritize permanent employment opportunities for Kenyan healthcare workers if the facility is eventually established.

“We will not tolerate an apartheid healthcare model on Kenyan soil,” the statement added.

The union has now issued the government with a 48-hour ultimatum to publicly disclose the negotiations and address concerns raised by healthcare workers.

KMPDU warned that failure to do so would trigger nationwide industrial action by doctors and other healthcare professionals.

“We will protect our healthcare workers, and we will protect our country,” Atellah said.