Kenyan Health Minister Aden Duale has been found guilty of contempt of court after he blatantly ignored a High Court order to halt construction on a 50-bed Ebola isolation facility in Nanyuki. The facility, which is being funded by the United States to house American citizens suspected of contracting the virus, has faced significant local opposition.
Despite a clear mandate from Lady Justice Patricia Nyaundi to cease all building activities until a legal challenge from the Katiba Institute could be heard, the government continued the project under the guise of national interest.
Justice Nyaundi dismissed the government's attempts to re-characterize the work, stating that a court order is a command to be obeyed, not an invitation for bureaucratic ingenuity. The project has been the site of violent protests, resulting in three deaths, including a teenager.
While President William Ruto has defended the initiative as a humanitarian necessity, critics—including the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union—have questioned why Kenya should serve as a containment zone for foreign nationals.
As the government faces sentencing on Tuesday, the administration remains committed to the $13.5 million US-backed effort, despite the legal and civil unrest surrounding the site.
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