Kenya has expanded its readiness to deal with Ebola by setting aside 241 beds in five hospitals, as health authorities strengthen isolation, testing and surveillance following the country’s first imported case of the disease.
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale said the additional capacity is part of a wider national response aimed at ensuring suspected and confirmed cases can be identified and managed without delay.
He, however, maintained that the confirmed case does not amount to an Ebola outbreak in the country.
“We don’t have an Ebola outbreak in Kenya; what we have is an imported Ebola incident,” Duale said in a press briefing on Wednesday, October 7, 2026.
The hospitals designated to manage Ebola patients are Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, National Police Hospital, Port Reitz Hospital and The Nairobi Hospital.
The Nairobi Hospital will provide the largest share of the capacity with 130 beds. Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital has been allocated 50 beds, while National Police Hospital has 49.
KNH has eight beds set aside for Ebola patients, with Port Reitz Hospital allocated four.
Duale said the government would add more capacity if required, depending on how the situation develops.
“The available capacity will be increased through the establishment of additional facilities as the situation evolves,” he said.
The five hospitals are part of a larger national system being put in place to respond to suspected and confirmed Ebola infections.
According to the Ministry of Health, Kenya has 15 isolation and treatment units at present, but plans are underway to raise the number to 22. Counties considered to be at higher risk will be given priority as the additional units are established.
Screening intensified at border points
The measures follow the confirmation of Kenya’s first imported Bundibugyo Ebola Virus Disease case involving a Kenyan national who had been living in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The patient travelled from the Democratic Republic of Congo by road to Kampala before flying into Nairobi on October 3. He was taken to The Nairobi Hospital after arriving at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, where he was isolated and assessed.
The infection was independently confirmed through laboratory tests conducted by the National Virology Reference Laboratory and the Kenya Medical Research Institute. The patient later died.
Following the confirmation, health authorities have stepped up surveillance at major points of entry, including JKIA and the country’s land borders.
The Ministry of Health said more than 652,000 travellers have already been screened as part of the response, while 267 samples have undergone testing through Kenya’s laboratory network.
The testing capacity includes laboratories in Nairobi and Kisumu, together with mobile laboratories operating at the Busia and Lwakhakha border points.
The government is also preparing temporary isolation centres in border areas, with facilities identified at Malaba, Busia and Kocholia.
Alupe Sub-County Hospital in Busia County is undergoing renovations as part of the efforts to improve the country’s capacity to manage Ebola cases.
Duale said the government would continue to place emphasis on identifying infections early, confirming cases quickly, isolating patients and following up with people who may have been exposed.
“Effective response depends on early detection, rapid diagnosis, timely isolation, appropriate treatment and contact tracing,” he said.