Kenya has confirmed its first imported case and subsequent death from Ebola Virus Disease, triggering contact tracing and quarantine protocols across Nairobi.
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale announced that the deceased, who had resided in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for the past seven years, fell ill approximately one month ago and had received supportive medical care at multiple health facilities in eastern DRC before embarking on cross-border travel.
According to media reports 8 Kenya, the patient traveled by road from the DRC through Uganda to Kampala. On Saturday, October 3, 2026, he boarded a commercial flight from Entebbe International Airport to Nairobi, landing at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
Upon arrival at JKIA, the patient was met by a relative and transported directly by private means to Nairobi Hospital. Attending clinical staff placed him in isolation after diagnosing acute symptoms consistent with viral hemorrhagic fever, including high-grade fever, chills, severe fatigue, body weakness, muscle aches, sore throat, painful swallowing, and subcutaneous bleeding around prior intravenous injection sites.
Laboratory blood samples confirmed the presence of the Ebola virus. Despite emergency clinical interventions and intensive life support in isolation, the patient succumbed to the infection on Monday night.
Health surveillance teams have identified and placed under close medical observation 28 high-risk contacts, comprising immediate family members and healthcare personnel who handled the patient during triage and admission.
Public health teams, working with airline operators and port health authorities, are tracing 23 fellow passengers and flight crew members who were aboard the inbound flight from Kampala to assess risk levels and institute supervised quarantine.
The Ministry of Health said that screening and surveillance measures have been stepped up across all designated points of entry, including international airports and border transit corridors along the western frontier, and urged the public to report anyone exhibiting hemorrhagic fever symptoms to toll-free emergency response hotlines.
