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The citizens were demonstrating against a controversial 50-bed quarantine facility being constructed by the U.S. military to house American citizens exposed to Ebola.
Strong indications have emerged that the administration of Kenyan President William Ruto is working in collusion with the United States government to offload the risk of the deadly Ebola virus onto African soil, sparking violent protests and a major constitutional crisis in East Africa.On Tuesday, heavily armed Kenyan police forces fired teargas and brutally clamped down on citizens in the central town of Nanyuki.
The citizens were demonstrating against a controversial 50-bed quarantine facility being constructed by the U.S. military to house American citizens exposed to Ebola.
The Ruto administration has continued to facilitate the project, allows American military planes to ferry in personnel and hardware, in flagrant violation of multiple subsisting High Court orders barring any further work on the site.
The facility, situated within the high-security Laikipia Air Base, has triggered widespread rage among Kenyans. Many accuse the U.S. government of hypocrisy and treating Africa as a dumping ground for biological risks, while shielding its own citizens back home.
The crisis has already turned bloody. At least two protestors were killed by security forces during demonstrations last week. Undeterred by the state-sponsored violence, small groups of protesters returned to the streets adjacent to the airbase early Tuesday.
A witness observed police officers rounding up at least six demonstrators, shoving them into police vehicles. One of the defiant protesters carried a symbolic white cross painted with the words: “Respect Ebola.”
A 24-year-old protester, Bethwel Onyango, who spoke to Reuters lambasted the Kenyan government for prioritising foreign interests over the healthcare needs of its citizens.
“We are not happy with the idea of establishing this Ebola facility here,” Onyango said. “Why would a government set up a facility to control a disease we don’t have when they can’t deal with the ones ailing us?”
Investigations revealed that the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has adopted a hardline stance, declaring that it “cannot and will not allow” any Ebola cases to enter U.S. territory. This marks a sharp departure from the 2014–2016 West African Ebola outbreak when infected American nationals were flown back to the U.S. for treatment.
The current Ebola outbreak, which was declared last month in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, has already recorded over 500 confirmed cases and 100 deaths.
Several U.S. citizens have reportedly been exposed to the virus. While six Americans—including one who tested positive—were evacuated to Germany and another to the Czech Republic, the U.S. is racing to use Kenya as a holding ground for asymptomatic Americans.
According to U.S. officials, the Nanyuki facility is strictly designed to quarantine Americans who have been exposed but are not yet showing symptoms.
In what has been described as a blatant display of executive lawlessness, the Kenyan government has completely ignored the country’s judiciary.
A High Court judge has issued two separate injunctions restraining the government from building or operating the site.
The court had given the Ruto administration a one-week ultimatum to publicly disclose all secret agreements and operational protocols signed with the U.S. regarding the facility.
Joshua Malidzo, a lawyer representing the Katiba Institute—a legal advocacy group challenging the quarantine plan—confirmed that the government deliberately ignored the court’s deadline, which expired on Monday.
Rather than obey the law, President Ruto defended the illegality last week, claiming his administration was doing “the right thing.”
Meanwhile, U.S. military aircraft have continued to violate the spirit of the court orders. Flight tracking data and diplomatic sources confirmed that U.S. military planes have been landing at the base with equipment and personnel, with more aircraft scheduled to arrive this week.
SOURCE: SAHARA REPORTERS
