Kenya High Court Halts US Ebola Quarantine Plan

NAIROBI. Kenya's High Court has ordered a temporary halt to the US plan to quarantine American citizens suspected of Ebola infection in Kenya.

High Court Judge Patricia Nyaundi issued an order late Thursday night stating that Kenya cannot implement the plan until the case related to this agreement is fully heard and decided. Furthermore, entry into the country for individuals affected or infected by Ebola has also been prohibited during this period.

The White House announced on Thursday that the US planned to establish a facility in Kenya to quarantine its citizens who might be infected with Ebola. The plan was that if symptoms of infection appeared, American citizens would not be returned to the US but would be sent to a third country for treatment or isolation. Following this decision, widespread legal and public questions have arisen in Kenya. The Kenyan rights organization Katiba Institute filed a petition in court on Thursday itself, challenging the plan.

The organization has termed this an attempt to secretly and unilaterally establish an Ebola quarantine facility, arguing that it would seriously affect constitutional rights such as life, health, fair administrative process, public participation, and parliamentary oversight.

In her order, Judge Nyaundi stated that immediate judicial review of this matter is necessary and directed that no implementation should be carried out until the case is heard. The next hearing for this case has been scheduled for June 2.