Kenya confirms first case of Ebola

Kenyan Ebola patient passes away in Nairobi hospital

Nairobi, Kenya | AGENCIES |  Kenya’s Ministry of Health has confirmed the first imported case of Ebola (Bundibugyo) Virus Disease in the country. The patient, a Kenyan citizen who had been living in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for the past seven years, passed away last night while undergoing treatment.

According to an official press release issued by the Cabinet Secretary for Health,  Aden Duale, the patient fell ill approximately a month ago and sought medical care at several facilities while still in the DRC. He later travelled by road from the DRC to Kampala, Uganda, before boarding flight number 8523 to Nairobi, arriving at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on Saturday, October 3rd.

Upon arrival, a relative transported the patient directly from JKIA to Nairobi Hospital.

Recognizing symptoms consistent with a Viral Haemorrhagic Fever—including fever, chills, intense fatigue, muscle pain, a sore throat, painful swallowing, and bleeding under the skin at injection sites—medical staff quickly placed him in an isolation facility. Samples sent to the National Virology Reference Laboratory and the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) Laboratory both tested positive for the Ebola Bundibugyo strain.

In response to the positive diagnosis, Kenya’s Ministry of Health has launched an aggressive contact tracing campaign. Authorities have already listed 28 close contacts, including family members and healthcare workers who attended to the deceased.

Furthermore, health officials are actively pursuing 23 passengers and crew members who travelled on the same flight from Kampala to Nairobi. The ministry confirmed that arrangements to place individuals deemed at risk into quarantine are currently ongoing to prevent localized transmission.

Cabinet Secretary Duale reassured the public that the government has maintained a heightened state of alert for Ebola since a regional outbreak began in May 2026. He emphasized that robust systems are in place to mitigate the spread of the virus and urged citizens not to panic.

“The Ministry of Health advises the public to maintain strict hygiene protocols, including frequent handwashing or using alcohol-based hand rubs, and to avoid close contact with individuals showing signs of illness, particularly those arriving from countries with active Ebola transmission,” he said.

“Healthcare workers nationwide have been instructed to exercise extreme vigilance and enforce maximum infection prevention and control measures for all patients, regardless of their initial diagnosis.”

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