Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has intensified its Ebola preparedness efforts in Kenya following confirmation of the country’s first imported case of Ebola and the subsequent death of the patient in Nairobi.
MSF said it is working in close coordination with the Ministry of Health and other response actors while closely monitoring the evolving situation.
The patient, a Kenyan national who had been living in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), arrived in Nairobi on October 3 after travelling through Uganda. He was later isolated and treated at Nairobi Hospital after developing symptoms associated with Ebola and subsequently tested positive. He died on Monday.
Kenyan health authorities have identified 28 contacts, including family members and healthcare workers who attended to the patient, while efforts are also underway to trace 23 passengers and four crew members who travelled on the same flight.
MSF said its preparedness work in Kenya began following the regional Ebola outbreak in the DRC and Uganda.
In June 2026, the organisation established an Ebola simulation and training centre in Kajiado County, near Nairobi, where health workers and emergency response teams are trained on infection prevention and control, use of personal protective equipment and emergency response procedures.
According to MSF, 355 professionals, including 84 Kenyan healthcare workers, have so far received training at the facility.
The organisation has also supported preparedness activities in Mombasa and Busia, including efforts to strengthen the isolation and management of suspected cases.
MSF stressed that community engagement and access to trusted information remain critical in containing Ebola, particularly in preventing fear and misinformation.
The Ministry of Health has meanwhile urged Kenyans to remain vigilant but avoid panic, saying the confirmed case was imported and that surveillance, testing, isolation and contact-tracing measures are in place. More than 652,000 travellers have been screened and 267 samples tested since Kenya heightened its Ebola alert.
Kenya’s first confirmed case comes amid a major Ebola outbreak in the DRC, where more than 8,200 people have reportedly been infected and about 4,000 have died.
