Kenya has formally protested Saudi Arabia’s decision to suspend travel to and arrivals from the country over the Ebola outbreak, describing the restrictions as disproportionate and unsupported by scientific evidence.
In a diplomatic letter dated October 30, 2026, the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs urged the Saudi government to review and lift the measures, warning that the restrictions could negatively affect trade, tourism, religious pilgrims, students and Kenyans working in the Kingdom.
Kenya acknowledged Saudi Arabia’s right to implement public health measures to protect its citizens but maintained that the decision does not reflect the current Ebola situation in the country.
According to the ministry, Kenya has contained the imported outbreak, with all nine confirmed cases belonging to a single cluster linked to the initial imported case.
The government noted that there had been no evidence of community transmission, adding that all secondary cases were already in quarantine when they tested positive.
The ministry further disclosed that seven patients were responding well to treatment and were expected to be discharged on November 3, 2026.
Additionally, 46 contacts were scheduled for discharge from quarantine on the same date, following the completion of their monitoring period.
Kenya said all 135 contacts linked to the initial case had been traced and monitored daily, with the first group completing the mandatory 21-day monitoring period discharged on October 26.
The government also confirmed that no new Ebola case had been reported since October 19, 2026.Citing the World Health Organization (WHO), Kenya said the global health body had acknowledged the country’s efforts in containing the outbreak and advised against imposing travel or trade restrictions.
The ministry argued that suspending visas and barring individuals who had been in Kenya within the previous 21 days amounted to a blanket punitive measure that went beyond what the public health situation justified.
“Suspending visas and barring anyone who has been in Kenya in the last 21 days is a blanket, punitive measure not supported by epidemiological evidence in the country,” the ministry stated.
Kenya further warned that the restrictions would hurt economic and diplomatic relations while penalising a country that had demonstrated transparency and notified the WHO within 24 hours of detecting the outbreak.
In response, Nairobi has requested Saudi authorities to reconsider and lift the restrictions.
Kenya has also urged Saudi Arabia’s National Focal Point to submit a formal justification to the WHO under Regulation 43 of the International Health Regulations (2005), explaining the measures that significantly interfere with international travel within 48 hours.
The ministry further indicated that Kenya would work with affected African countries to raise concerns with the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) over what it termed disproportionate travel restrictions.
Kenya has also offered to provide a detailed technical briefing to Saudi Arabia’s Public Health Authority to clarify the country’s Ebola containment efforts.
The diplomatic protest comes amid heightened international attention over Kenya’s Ebola outbreak, with the government maintaining that surveillance, contact tracing and treatment interventions have contained the spread of the disease.
