A protester has been shot during a demonstration in Nairobi against the construction of a US-funded Ebola research facility, prompting a travel advisory from the UK Foreign Office. The incident occurred on Tuesday outside the proposed site of the centre in the Kibera district, a densely populated area of the capital.
Witnesses reported that security personnel fired live rounds after the crowd, estimated at several hundred, became volatile. One man was struck in the leg and has been hospitalised. His condition is not yet known. The protest, organised by local activists, objects to the facility on grounds of inadequate consultation and fears over biosafety in a residential area.
The UK Foreign Office has issued a statement warning British nationals in Kenya to avoid non-essential travel to the vicinity of the demonstration. The advisory cites a deterioration in the security situation and the potential for further violence.
The proposed centre, part of a biosecurity partnership between the United States and Kenya, is intended to study emerging pathogens. Critics argue that the project lacks transparency and fails to address community concerns about environmental and health risks.
This development occurs against a backdrop of growing public scepticism towards foreign-funded health initiatives in East Africa. The Kenyan government has defended the project, emphasising its economic and scientific benefits.
The situation remains fluid. Police have declined to comment on the shooting. The injured protester is receiving treatment at a local hospital.
Further updates will follow as the story develops.
