The chaos in western Kenya took a dangerous turn today as protesters stormed a US-funded Ebola treatment centre near Kisumu. The facility, part of a global health security programme, was left ransacked with medical supplies looted and staff forced to flee. White-coated workers described scenes of terror as crowds, angry over rising food prices and perceived foreign interference, breached the perimeter fence.
The UK Foreign Office has issued an urgent plea for restraint, warning that the destruction of such infrastructure could spark a public health disaster in a region already battling outbreaks. For the people of Kisumu, the cost of a loaf of bread has doubled in six months. For the medics who fled, the cost could be measured in lives.
The centre was treating suspected cases of haemorrhagic fever. Now, its empty beds symbolise a different kind of sickness: the fracture between global aid and local desperation. One protester, a mother of three, told reporters: 'They have money for Ebola but not for our empty stomachs.
' The UK’s call for order rings hollow when the price of maize meal is beyond reach. Unions here have long warned that wage stagnation and inflation are a toxic mix. Today, that poison spilled over into a facility meant to save lives.
The question remains: who will save the economy?
