Karua slams government over proposed Laikipia Ebola facility, cites healthcare failures

People's Liberation Party (PLP) leader Martha Karua has accused the Kenya Kwanza administration of prioritising foreign interests over the health and safety of Kenyans amid plans to establish an Ebola quarantine facility linked to the United States in Laikipia County.

In a statement issued on Saturday, Karua questioned the government's preparedness to handle a potential Ebola outbreak, citing persistent challenges in the healthcare sector, including medicine shortages, staffing crises and concerns surrounding the implementation of the Social Health Authority (SHA).

The PLP leader said the proposed facility had exposed deeper weaknesses within Kenya’s healthcare system, arguing that the government was seeking to host Ebola-exposed individuals while hospitals across the country continued to struggle with limited resources and operational challenges.

“Their policy is to protect Americans first; how dare they entertain the idea that they can bring Ebola affected people to Kenya, to protect America, but endanger the Kenyan people?” Karua said.

She added that Kenyans should be the government’s first priority, especially “when our health system has been ravaged by Kenya Kwanza’s reckless management of our country’s healthcare”.

Karua said the issue was not only about the proposed quarantine facility but also about what she described as the systematic weakening of public healthcare following the transition from the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) to the Social Health Authority.

She argued that despite increased healthcare contributions under SHA, many Kenyans continued to face delayed services, unpaid hospital claims, medicine shortages and uncertainty over access to treatment.

“How can Kenyans be asked to trust this government with Ebola preparedness when it cannot account for resources already collected from wenye nchi?” she asked. “Kenyans are paying more for healthcare than ever before, yet receiving less.”

Karua further criticised the government over recent concerns raised by healthcare workers and professional bodies, saying recurring disputes within the sector had undermined confidence in the country’s ability to respond to a major public health emergency.

She backed concerns raised by the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union, which has questioned the proposed arrangement and warned against any plan implemented without sufficient safeguards and public accountability.

“If the very same doctors that ensure your struggling medical system is functioning are concerned to the point of threatening a nationwide health strike, how can you then say that the ministry has the capacity to deal with Ebola?” Karua said.

The PLP leader also criticised provisions in the proposed 2026 Finance Bill, warning that changes affecting pharmaceutical inputs could increase production costs and ultimately raise the price of medicines for ordinary Kenyans.

“A nation that is not healthy cannot be prosperous,” she said. “Leadership is about protecting your people first.”

The controversy comes amid ongoing discussions between Kenya and international partners over Ebola preparedness measures following a worsening outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Kenyan officials, including Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, have maintained that the proposed facility at Laikipia Air Base would be part of a broader national preparedness strategy and would be accessible to both Kenyans and foreign nationals.

However, the proposal has faced growing opposition from leaders in Laikipia County, including Governor Joshua Irungu and Senator John Kinyua, who have raised concerns over transparency, public consultation and potential health risks to residents.

The plan is also the subject of an ongoing court battle after the Katiba Institute filed a petition seeking to halt the establishment of the facility. The High Court has since issued temporary conservatory orders suspending the implementation of the proposed quarantine centre pending further hearings.