Kenya confirms first Ebola case as patient returns from DRC

NAIROBI, Kenya Oct 6 – Kenya has confirmed its first case of Ebola virus disease in Nairobi, ending months of heightened surveillance and preparedness following the spread of the deadly Bundibugyo strain in the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighbouring Uganda.

Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale confirmed the imported case on Tuesday, saying the patient had travelled from the DRC through Uganda before entering Kenya.

Duale said the patient, who had lived in the DRC for about seven years, developed illness approximately a month ago and sought treatment at several health facilities in the country before beginning his journey back to Kenya.

The patient travelled by road from the DRC into Uganda before boarding a flight to Nairobi, where he arrived at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on Saturday, October 3, at about 1:10pm.

According to Duale, the flight was carrying 23 passengers.

The patient underwent routine public health screening at JKIA before proceeding to the immigration desk, raising questions over how the infection was detected and the measures now being taken to identify and monitor people who may have been exposed during his journey.

“The Ministry of Health wishes to inform members of the public that it has confirmed the first imported case of Ebola Bundibugyo virus disease,” Duale said.

The confirmation marks a significant development for Kenya, which had remained free of confirmed Ebola infections despite mounting regional concerns.

The government had been preparing for the possibility of an imported case for several months as Ebola spread across the DRC and was reported in Uganda.

In June, Duale told Parliament that Kenya had activated its National Ebola Incident Management System and intensified screening at airports and land border crossings. More than 71,000 travellers had been screened at the time, while 22 suspected Ebola alerts reported in nine counties had all tested negative.

The Ministry of Health had also stepped up surveillance at the Malaba border because of the movement of people between Kenya and Uganda. By early June, authorities said 59 suspected Ebola cases tested in Kenya had returned negative results.

A national Ebola preparedness and response taskforce was subsequently established to coordinate surveillance, laboratory testing, infection prevention and control, case management, risk communication and cross-border response.

The taskforce brings together national and county governments, health agencies, security authorities, development partners and technical experts.

Kenya’s first imported case comes as the Ebola outbreak in the DRC continues to grow.

The World Health Organisation said on September 25 that the outbreak had spread to 63 health zones across seven provinces, including Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uélé, Tshopo, Bas-Uélé and Sud-Ubangi.

By September 23, the DRC had recorded 7,890 confirmed cases and 3,799 deaths, with a case fatality rate of 48.1 per cent. WHO warned that the geographical expansion of the outbreak was increasing the risk of cross-border transmission.

More recent figures reported by Congolese authorities showed the outbreak had surpassed 8,000 confirmed cases. On October 2 the DRC had recorded 8,300 confirmed cases and 4,018 deaths across seven provinces, making the current outbreak the largest and deadliest Ebola outbreak in the country’s history.

The outbreak is being driven by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, a strain for which there is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment. WHO says insecurity, population movement and cross-border trade have complicated efforts to contain transmission.

The scale of the outbreak has also prompted experimental treatment efforts. More than 250 people exposed to the virus in Ituri are participating in a trial of obeldesivir, an experimental drug being studied as post-exposure protection against infection.

The patient’s movement through Uganda is particularly significant because the country had also experienced an outbreak of the same Bundibugyo strain after infections crossed its border from the DRC.

Uganda recorded 20 confirmed cases during its 2026 outbreak, including imported and locally acquired infections. The country was declared Ebola-free on July 28 after completing the required 42-day period without a new confirmed case.

However, WHO has continued to warn that Uganda remains vulnerable to reintroduction because Ebola transmission has persisted in neighbouring DRC and people continue to cross the border.

Kenya’s confirmation therefore highlights the difficulty of containing the disease in a region characterised by extensive movement of people, goods and vehicles across borders.

The Ministry of Health had repeatedly cautioned that Kenya’s geographical position and extensive regional connectivity left it exposed to imported infections.

In May, the ministry announced heightened surveillance, laboratory testing, border screening and public awareness measures after WHO and Africa CDC classified the regional Ebola outbreak as a major public health threat.