Ebola: Where did Kenya drop the ball?

Health CS Aden Duale speaks at Afya House regarding Kenya’s preparedness and emergency response measures against Ebola Virus Disease. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

Kenya’s first Ebola case has raised questions over gaps in screening and surveillance at the country’s points of entry after a Kenyan who had lived in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for seven years entered the country undetected.

The patient travelled by road from the DRC to Kampala, Uganda, before boarding a JamboJet flight to Nairobi. He arrived in Kenya on Saturday and was later taken to The Nairobi Hospital, where he was isolated and treated after developing symptoms of viral haemorrhagic fever. He died on Monday night.

The case has now put Kenya’s preparedness under scrutiny, with virologists questioning how a traveller from a country experiencing an active Ebola outbreak made it through the regional travel network and into Nairobi.

Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale yesterday confirmed that the patient had tested positive for Ebola Bundibugyo virus disease, putting health authorities on heightened alert as they moved to trace passengers, crew, family members and health workers who may have come into contact with him.

Prof Omu Anzala, a virologist, said there was a lapse in surveillance that allowed the patient to enter the country without being identified as a suspected Ebola case.

“We cannot deny laxity. Definitely we have to accept there was a bit of laxity in surveillance,” regretted Anzala.

According to the scientist, Kenya could not afford to become complacent while Ebola remained active in the DRC.

He said Kenya relaxed its measures after WHO announced Uganda was Ebola-free. “We can actually see people can pass through illegal entries to here, through Uganda, and reach here, without being noticed,” he said.

The patient, he said, was coming to Kenya to seek the best treatment.

Prof Anzala said screening should now be intensified at critical points of entry, including Busia, Malaba, Kajiado and Namanga, as well as at airports.

In an interview with The Standard, Anzala said the patient should ideally have been identified at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA). His travel history should also have raised an alarm at the port checks.

“Ideally, the patient must have presented with fever, and having a history of coming from DRC, that was enough to suspect a case,” he said. “This case should have been identified at JKIA.”

Anzala was among 170 volunteers, including researchers, doctors, nurses and laboratory technicians who supported the African Union Support to Ebola Outbreak in West Africa (ASEOWA) mission during the 2014 Ebola outbreak.

His sentiments were echoed by Prof Julius Oyugi, another virologist, who said the patient’s failure to be identified at the airport raised questions about the effectiveness of screening.

“I suspect there was some laxity at the airport. The person was not identified at the airport,” said Oyugi.

However, Oyugi said identifying Ebola at the point of entry can be difficult because its initial symptoms are not specific to the disease.

Health workers in personal protective equipment simulate the evacuation of an Ebola victim using a manikin during a Médecins Sans Frontières training in Ongata Rongai, on July 10, 2026. [AFP]

The disease can initially present with symptoms such as sudden fever, headache and fatigue, making it difficult to distinguish from other illnesses without laboratory testing.

“It is very hard for someone to say they have Ebola, not unless they progress to later stages, are tested and confirmed. That is the reason why it is sometimes hard to identify the cases quickly,” said Oyugi.

Despite the concerns over airport screening, Oyugi said Kenya’s response after the patient reached the health system was commendable.

“What happened from the hospital up to now is commendable, because it was identified,” he observed.

He said the immediate priority should now be contact tracing and quarantine of people who may have been exposed to the virus.

The case of Ebola Bundibugyo Virus Disease was confirmed on Tuesday, with Health CS saying the patient was a Kenyan who had been living in the DRC for seven years.

Duale said the patient travelled from the DRC by road to Kampala before boarding Jambo Jet flight 8523 to Nairobi, arriving on Saturday.

According to Duale, the patient was screened at JKIA before being taken directly to The Nairobi Hospital, where he was isolated  and later transferred to the hospital’s East Wing Isolation Facility.

According to the CS, the patient presented with fever, chills, intense fatigue and weakness, muscle pain, painful swallowing, sore throat and bleeding under the skin at injection sites.

“Based on the above presentation and history of travel to DRC, the doctor considered this a case of Viral Haemorrhagic Fever and collected a sample for testing, which turned positive for Ebola Bundibugyo Virus Disease at both the National Virology Reference Laboratory and the KEMRI Lab,” said Duale.

The CS said the patient was given supportive treatment but died on Monday night. “Arrangements for safe and dignified burial of the deceased are ongoing, and the burial is planned for later today in line with Ebola safe and dignified burial protocols,” said Duale.

With the case confirmed, Anzala said the government must urgently trace everyone who had contact with the patient, particularly those who interacted with him during his journey and treatment.

This includes family members, passengers and crew who travelled with him, airport personnel, taxi drivers and health workers who attended to him. “We need to quickly get all contacts. These are not hard to be found,” said Anzala.

He said failure to identify and monitor contacts could allow the virus to spread beyond the initial case.

“If we start having confirmed Ebola cases and multiple contacts, how equipped are we to quarantine, monitor and manage them?” posed Anzala. “One Ebola case is already one too many.”

Anzala said even the availability of high-level treatment facilities would not be enough if surveillance, contact tracing and infection prevention measures were weak.

“The real challenge is preventing the virus from spreading to other people,” he said.

He called for stronger surveillance of travellers arriving from Ebola-affected countries, better-equipped isolation facilities and a trained workforce capable of responding rapidly to suspected cases.

“We need high-end surveillance, ensure we look at isolation facilities, have well-trained human resources and put together a team for contact tracing,” said Anzala. “We should do more than what we are doing, to ensure people coming from endemic countries like DRC are screened,” he said.

Anzala also commended the government for handling the deceased according to safe burial protocols.

“I applaud the government for swiftly handling the dead, having him buried as per the protocol. We cannot allow people to have around a body of someone who died of Ebola. For what reasons?” he posed.

According to Duale, 28 contacts, including family members and health workers who attended to the patient, have so far been identified.

The government is also tracing 23 passengers and four crew members who were on the same flight as the deceased, while arrangements for quarantine of people considered at risk are ongoing.

Duale said Kenya had remained on high alert for Ebola since the outbreak began in May 2026.

As of October 6, the country had screened 652,584 travellers and tested 267 samples in five laboratories, including the National Virology Reference Laboratory, KEMRI laboratories in Nairobi and Kisumu, and two mobile laboratories at the Busia and Lwakhakha border points. “Only one test has turned positive,” said Duale.

He said 4,971 health workers at national and sub-national levels had also been trained on Ebola prevention and management.

Before the announcement, Duale said the Ministry of Health had notified the World Health Organisation of the case in line with the International Health Regulations.

Duale urged Kenyans not to panic, saying systems were in place to contain the disease.

Director General of Health Dr Patrick Amoth urged the public to observe public health measures, including frequent hand washing, use of alcohol-based hand rubs and avoiding close contact with sick people from countries reporting active Ebola transmission.

He also asked Kenyans to seek care at recognised health facilities when unwell and urged health workers to remain vigilant and maintain strict infection prevention and control measures.

The Nairobi Hospital, where the patient died, said normal operations were continuing despite the Ebola case.

The hospital’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr Felix Osano, told The Standard that the patient was isolated and quarantined at a Covid-19 facility across the road from the main hospital immediately after presenting with symptoms.

He said infection prevention and control protocols were strictly followed, including the use of personal protective equipment.

According to the hospital, the patient was not admitted to the main hospital. Contact tracing has also been conducted in conjunction with the Ministry of Health.