Jambojet has confirmed that a passenger who travelled on flight JM 8523 from Entebbe to Nairobi on October 3 is at the centre of a health incident being investigated by authorities.
In a statement on Tuesday, the airline said it is working with the Ministry of Health, Port Health Services and other relevant authorities to identify and manage passengers and crew who may have been in contact with the individual.
“Jambojet is aware of reports concerning a guest who travelled on Saturday 3rd October on flight JM 8523 from Entebbe to Nairobi,” the airline said.
The flight carried 23 passengers and landed at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) at 1:10 pm, according to Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale.
Jambojet said the health and safety of its guests, crew and staff remained its “highest priority” as the public health response continued.
“We are working closely with the Ministry of Health, Port Health Services and other relevant authorities to support the ongoing public health response, including the identification and management of the other guests and crew who may have been in contact with the individual,” the airline said.
It urged passengers and the public to rely on official information from its verified social media platforms, @FlyJambojet, and relevant health authorities.
“We will continue to provide updates as and when it becomes available,” the airline said.
The development follows confirmation by the Ministry of Health of Kenya’s first imported case of Ebola Bundibugyo virus disease.
The patient was a Kenyan man who had lived in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for seven years and had fallen ill about a month before travelling back to Kenya.
Duale said the man travelled by road from the DRC to Uganda before boarding the Jambojet flight to Nairobi.
After arriving at JKIA, he underwent routine public health screening before proceeding to immigration. He was later collected by relatives and taken directly to Nairobi Hospital, where he was isolated.
The patient had symptoms including fever, chills, intense fatigue, weakness, muscle pain, pain while swallowing, sore throat and bleeding under the skin at an injection site.
Samples tested at the National Virology Reference Laboratory and the Kenya Medical Research Institute laboratory both confirmed Ebola. The patient died at about 11:30pm on Monday after receiving supportive treatment.
The Ministry of Health has identified 28 contacts linked to the patient and is tracing the 23 passengers and four crew members who travelled on the same flight.
Duale said Kenya had screened 652,584 travellers since May and tested 267 samples through five laboratories, with only one positive result recorded.
The Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in the DRC was declared on May 15, 2026. The ministry has trained 4,971 healthcare workers on Ebola prevention and management and notified the World Health Organization about the case.
Jambojet has urged the public to follow official updates as authorities continue with contact tracing and other measures to contain the incident.