Omanghana
Kenya has confirmed its first recorded Ebola case after a Kenyan citizen who had travelled from the Democratic Republic of Congo died while receiving treatment in Nairobi.
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale announced the case on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, saying the patient had lived in the DRC for seven years and became ill approximately a month before returning to Kenya.
The man sought treatment at several facilities in the DRC before travelling by road to Kampala, Uganda. He subsequently boarded a Jambojet flight to Nairobi on Saturday, October 3.
Officials said medication may have masked his symptoms during airport screening. He was later taken to hospital, where he presented with fever, chills and bleeding beneath the skin, prompting immediate isolation. He died on Monday night.
Tests conducted at Kenya’s National Virology Reference Laboratory and the Kenya Medical Research Institute confirmed infection with the Bundibugyo Ebola virus.
Duale initially reported that 28 contacts, including relatives and healthcare workers, had been identified for follow-up. Authorities were also tracing 23 passengers and four crew members who travelled on the same flight, with quarantine arrangements being made for those considered at risk.
The patient was buried under public health protocols intended to prevent further transmission, according to the Kenyan presidency.
The case comes amid a major Ebola outbreak in the DRC, declared in May 2026. Figures attributed to the World Health Organization showed 8,463 cases and 4,082 deaths as of October 2.
Duale urged the public to remain calm, saying response systems were in place. He said Kenya had trained nearly 5,000 healthcare workers in Ebola prevention and management and had notified the WHO of the confirmed case.
Source: Omanghana
