Kenyan Health Minister Aden Duale on Monday halted construction of a U.S.-backed Ebola quarantine facility after a High Court judge found him in contempt of court for defying an earlier order that blocked the project, United Press International reported.
High Court Judge Patricia Nyaundi on May 29 issued an injunction halting construction of the 50-bed facility at Laikipia Air Base in Laikipia County, Kenya, following protests by local residents and criticism from health experts and rights groups. The U.S. government had announced plans to build the facility to quarantine Americans potentially exposed to the Ebola virus during an outbreak that has spread in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and South Sudan.
U.S. Secretary of State said early in the outbreak that no Ebola cases or potential cases would be permitted to enter the United States, according to reports.
Despite the May 29 court order, construction continued, leading to Duale being called before the court on Monday to explain why the government had not complied. The health minister apologized to the court and confirmed that construction has stopped.
“By appearing in court and confirming that construction of the quarantine facility has been halted, Duale has affirmed the government’s recognition that they are not above the Constitution,” Nora Mbagathi, executive director of the Katiba Institute, said in a statement. “His apology to the Court and the people of Kenya is an important moment, not just for our courts but for our democracy and rule of law.”
On Tuesday, the same judge warned Duale that he would be sentenced if the government did not keep the construction halted while plans for the facility are reviewed by the court. The injunction was extended until July 23, when the next court hearing is scheduled.
Health experts and rights groups in Kenya had raised concerns that the facility, built in a country that has not recorded any Ebola cases during the current outbreak, could pose a potential danger to Kenyans, the BBC reported.