Kenya has confirmed its first-ever Ebola case after a Kenyan national who had been living in the Democratic Republic of Congo tested positive following his return to Nairobi and later died.
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale said the patient, a Kenyan citizen who lived in the DRC for seven years, had been ill for about a month before travelling by road to Kampala and then flying to Nairobi on October 3. He was taken to Nairobi Hospital after passing routine screening at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
“The Ministry of Health Kenya has confirmed the first imported case of Ebola virus disease. This patient is a Kenyan citizen who has been living in DRC for the past seven years,” Duale said.
“The patient turned positive for Ebola, and most of all for Ebola Bundibugyo virus disease… passed on last night at around 11:30,” he added.
Authorities have identified 28 contacts, including relatives and healthcare workers, and are tracing 23 passengers and four crew members who were on the same flight from Uganda to Nairobi.
“Arrangements for quarantine of those at risk have been prepared, and this is to protect public health,” Duale said, noting Kenya had been on high alert since the outbreak began in May.
He said as of October 6, 2026, Kenya had screened 652,584 travellers, tested 267 samples across five laboratories, and trained 4,971 healthcare workers.
Director-General for Health Patrick Amoth said Kenya was coordinating with Uganda and the World Health Organization to prevent community transmission.
“You cannot be able to put a wall between Uganda and DR Congo, between Kenya and Uganda, to prevent the entry of a pathogen. Therefore, we continue to maintain a heightened state of alert,” Amoth said.
The case comes as the DRC battles its largest recorded Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo virus.
According to WHO figures as of September 23, there were 7,890 confirmed cases and 3,799 deaths across seven provinces.
The outbreak had previously spread to Uganda, where 20 cases and two deaths were recorded before the country declared the outbreak over in late August after 42 days without a new confirmed case.
Credit: Viory
