KENYAN HEALTH MINISTER HALTS US EBOLA FACILITY AFTER CONTEMPT CHARGE

Kenya's health minister Aden Duale has ordered a halt to construction of a US-run Ebola quarantine facility at Laikipia air base following a contempt of court finding. Duale told the court on Tuesday that he had ordered "the immediate and complete cessation of any intended construction, site preparation, or related activities" at the facility pending further court orders. The order came after Duale was held in contempt on Monday for failing to comply with a previous high court ruling that instructed work to stop. Duale apologised to the court for the breach.

The facility, located approximately 200 kilometres from Nairobi, was designed to house American personnel who may have been exposed to Ebola during the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The installation contained approximately 50 isolation beds and was to be managed by US medical staff. Rights groups had petitioned the court arguing the facility was being developed without public consultation and transparency. Kenya's government had previously ignored the initial high court order to cease work.

Significant public opposition has characterised the project since its announcement in May. Three people have been killed in unrest near the facility, according to reported accounts. Many Kenyans oppose the facility, citing concerns about introducing potential carriers of the highly contagious disease into the country, which has never recorded a confirmed Ebola case. The United States has committed $13.5 million to support Kenya's Ebola preparedness efforts, though critics have characterised the arrangement as carrying colonial undertones.