President William Ruto was forced to abandon a planned state visit to Congo-Brazzaville in May after the Ministry of Health warned him that proceeding with the trip would subject him to a mandatory 21-day quarantine upon his return to Kenya, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has revealed.
Duale made the disclosure on Tuesday, June 23, before the Milimani High Court in Nairobi, where he was defending the government’s decision to press ahead with the construction of an Ebola quarantine facility at Laikipia Airbase despite a court order barring the development.
According to Duale, President Ruto had been scheduled to include a diplomatic stop in Congo-Brazzaville as part of a broader trip that also included travel to France for the G7 summit earlier this month. However, following a technical briefing by the Director-General of Health and other medical experts, the Congo leg of the trip was immediately shelved.
“He acted on our advice, and the president delivered his speech virtually,” Duale told the court, explaining that the advisory was issued in strict compliance with constitutional and public health obligations under Article 153(2), which governs executive decisions on matters of national interest.
The revelation underscores the seriousness with which the Kenyan government has treated the regional Ebola threat. Duale made clear that no one, including the Head of State, was exempt from the health protocols in place.
Members of the presidential advance team who had already travelled to the region before the cancellation were not spared either. Upon returning to Kenya, the entire delegation was placed under mandatory isolation.
“Those who were his advance team as part of the presidential delegation, upon their return, were quarantined for a period of 21 days in one of our quarantine stations,” Duale testified.
As of June 23, 2026, Congo-Brazzaville has not reported any confirmed Ebola cases. However, the country sits adjacent to an active and expanding cross-border outbreak driven by the Bundibugyo virus strain, which is currently ravaging the northeastern territory of the Democratic Republic of Congo and parts of Uganda. The proximity of the outbreak has placed the entire sub-region under heightened surveillance, compelling Kenya and neighbouring states to maintain strict border health controls.
The Laikipia Airbase quarantine facility, at the centre of the court proceedings, has itself been a flashpoint of legal and political controversy, with the government insisting the infrastructure is a necessary safeguard in the face of the growing regional public health emergency