The United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps has confirmed the deployment of a specialised Ebola response team to Kenya to support the monitoring, care and quarantine of American citizens returning from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
In a statement released on Friday, May 29, U.S. officials said the deployment forms part of a coordinated operation involving the U.S. State Department and the Department of Defense aimed at managing Americans potentially exposed to the Ebola virus.
“The U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps is deploying a team of highly trained officers to Kenya to support the care, monitoring, and quarantine of American citizens departing the Democratic Republic of the Congo,” the statement read.
The development comes just hours after the High Court in Nairobi suspended the establishment of a controversial U.S.-linked Ebola quarantine facility in Laikipia County pending the hearing of a petition filed by the Katiba Institute.
Justice Patricia Nyaundi barred the Kenyan government from approving, facilitating, or operationalising any Ebola-related quarantine, isolation, or treatment centre linked to the United States or any foreign agency.
Despite the court orders, the latest U.S. announcement signals that operational coordination between Nairobi and Washington is continuing behind the scenes.
According to American authorities, the deployed team includes physicians, nurses, laboratory technologists, mental health experts, and engineers, some of whom previously participated in Ebola response missions during the 2014–2015 outbreak in Liberia.
Officials further disclosed that all personnel underwent specialised training on the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, including procedures involving protective equipment, quarantine operations, and treatment protocols.
The mission has sparked growing public concern in Kenya, with critics questioning the country’s preparedness and accusing the government of failing to provide full transparency over the arrangement.
Meanwhile, Kenya has intensified surveillance at entry points and established a National Response Committee to coordinate preparedness efforts as fears over regional spread continue to rise.