At least three people have been killed and more than a dozen wounded in Kenya after protests against the establishment of a new Ebola quarantine centre turned violent. The facility, located in the northeastern county of Mandera, was intended to screen travellers arriving from neighbouring Somalia, which has reported recent Ebola cases. But local residents, fearing the centre would bring the virus closer to their communities, took to the streets on Tuesday, blocking roads and throwing stones at police.
The unrest escalated when security forces fired live rounds into the crowd, witnesses said. A police spokesman confirmed the deaths but blamed the protesters for attacking officers with machetes and crude weapons. The government has imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew in the area and deployed additional troops to restore order.
Ebola, a haemorrhagic fever with a high fatality rate, has not been officially detected in Kenya. However, the government has been under pressure from international health bodies to strengthen border surveillance following outbreaks in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Mandera centre is part of a wider strategy to contain the virus, but it has been met with suspicion in a region already sceptical of central government.
Analysts say the violence underscores the delicate balance between public health measures and local consent. 'The government appears to have miscalculated the level of community engagement required,' said Dr. Grace Ochieng, a public health specialist at the University of Nairobi. 'Without trust, even the most well-intentioned interventions can backfire.'
Kenya's president has called for calm and ordered an investigation into the police response. Opposition leaders, meanwhile, have accused the government of heavy-handedness and demanded the immediate withdrawal of the quarantine centre. The protest has also drawn attention to broader grievances in Mandera, including poverty, lack of basic services, and a history of marginalisation.
Neighbouring countries are monitoring the situation. The African Union has issued a statement urging restraint and dialogue. The World Health Organization has expressed concern that the unrest could hamper Ebola preparedness efforts across the Horn of Africa. For now, the quarantine centre remains operational under heavy guard, but the incident has dealt a blow to public trust at a critical moment for regional health security.
