United Opposition demands U.S. to comply with Kenya's court order on setting up Ebola facility

Speaking during a church service at A.I.C. Karen on Sunday, the leaders insisted that Kenyans must be consulted through a public participation exercise, which they say should be held in Laikipia.

Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua urged the U.S. government to respect court orders that have temporarily stopped the project.

"We want to be like the United States in observing the law. Since there is a court order stopping the establishment of that centre in Kenya, the U.S. should lead by example and respect the rule of law. Do not join Kenya in breaking the law," he said.

Any decision that affects the lives of our people must be subjected to public participation as required by the Constitution. The people of Laikipia and Kenyans at large were never consulted. Next week, we shall hold a major meeting in Laikipia."

Likewise, Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka said that the political faction will seek to meet the United States Chargé d'Affaires in Kenya is Susan Burns to iron out the matter.

"What is always permanent is national interest. America has acted in its best national interest, and Kenya’s national interest must equally be respected and communicated," Kalonzo noted.

The leaders argue that proceeding with the facility without public consultation would undermine both the will of Kenyans and the rule of law.

"Just as President Trump has said he does not want Ebola on U.S. soil, Uganda has also taken a similar position," added DAP-K party leader Eugene Wamalwa.

The High Court issued conservatory orders halting the establishment and operationalisation of any Ebola-related facility in Kenya following a petition filed by the Katiba Institute.

So far 1,031 cases have been confirmed in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) since the first case was announced on May 15, and 240 deaths recorded.

The gravity of the situation has seen the World Health Organization’s Director-General is Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus visiting the country, pleading with local communities to seek early care and practice safe burials to break the cycle of grief.

"Certain practices, including touching the bodies of those who have died from Ebola can spread the virus further. While we grieve for those we have lost, we must do everything we can so that we do not lose another and get into a cycle of grief. Protecting each other, even in grief, is one of the hardest and most important things we can do," he said on Saturday during his address in DRC.

"But the global response is lagging. Because this is the rare Bundibugyo strain, there are no approved vaccines or treatments. Doctors without borders warns that hundreds of daily samples remain untested, leaving health workers completely blind to the true scale of the rapid, silent escalation."

Washington pledged Ksh.1.7 billion to build a 50-bed Ebola quarantine and biocontainment facility inside the Laikipia Air Base. 

The facility was designed to triage, treat, and isolate American citizens exposed to the virus in neighboring countries, keeping them off U.S. soil.

A case on determining the matter will take place this week.